Prolonged time playing video games could cause people to lose concentration, get angry easily and have trouble associating with others, a Japanese professor's research has suggested.
In a survey conducted by Akio Mori, a professor in Nihon University's College of Humanities and Sciences, it was found that the longer people spent playing video games, the less activity they showed in the prefrontal region of their brains, which governs emotion and creativity.
And brain activity in the people who continually played games did not recover in the periods when they weren't playing games, the research showed.
Many of the people in this group told researchers that they got angry easily, couldn't concentrate, and had trouble associating with friends.
"I want people to be aware of the quality of games and the time young people spend playing them during their earlier years when sentiment develops," Mori said of the results.
Mori said the research showed that only the nerve circuits of sight and motion moved when people played videogames, causing a drop in the process of thought.
The research also found that after continued time playing videogames, a decrease in prefrontal brain activity became chronic. Those in the visual group, who were used to visual stimulation, such as from television, easily developed videogame-type brains.
"Many videogames stir up tension and a feeling of fear, and there is concern that this could have an effect on the autonomic nerves," Mori said. "During childhood, playing outside with friends, not videogames, is the best option."
News source: Mainichi Daily News & gamers.nl
