The harm and benefits of computer games. Why do people play computer games? The harm and benefits of computer games What are games on a computer for?

You probably won't take my word for it. After all, we are used to the fact that games are associated with a useless activity that only brings pleasure to children and strange adults who play instead of supporting their families, chatting with friends and going fishing on weekends. Did I express your thoughts correctly?

To start with, I'll give you a study from the University of North Carolina that showed that adults who play computer games are happier and less depressed than those who don't recognize games.

Should we believe this study? I think yes. If only because there is no research that would prove the negative impact of games on the emotional background of a person. Of course, we've all heard of gamers who fainted from spending 24 hours playing games. But these are rather exceptions to the rule than the norm.

In addition to this research, I would like to give 10 reasons why adults should play computer games.

You will connect with your inner child

Only a few of us after work do something interesting for ourselves. And the constant thoughts of work (especially unloved) lead to depression and boredom.

You can choose any hobby that you like. And if these are games, then why not? Remember how much you played as a child. By creating this connection with yourself as a child, you will realize that you can enjoy many things, not just games.

Games help reduce stress

The older we get, the more problems and obligations fall on our heads. Loans, debts, problems at work - all these create stressful situations. First of all, you need to understand the cause of stress and get rid of it. And playing computer games can help you relax and take some time away from daily stress.

They develop imagination

Anyone who has ever played computer games can say that they put their imaginations to work, associate themselves with the main character, and follow the plot closely. Will it help you in real life? Perhaps yes. After all, we all like people with rich imaginations.

Games are a great topic of conversation

You will be surprised, but a lot of people play computer games. And the next time you're at a party, inadvertently ask your other person about it. And if he loves to play, you have a good topic of conversation.

You will learn how to balance work and play.

If you can't get distracted and play all day long, then it's not that the games are bad. It's about you. And games are just one way to distract yourself from problems in life. If they weren't there, you would have found something else. Try to find a balance between fun and responsibilities.

Games develop visual motor skills

Research shows that people who play computer games have better motor skills and coordination. In this way, you develop your physical skills. Many activities require good coordination and motor skills. For example, driving.

Spending time with friends

If you are tired of going to the same places with your friends, try to diversify your leisure time with computer games. It can strengthen your relationship and help you stay close to your friends.

Games always have a goal

There is always a goal in games, whether it be an exit on new level or other achievement. This makes your pastime more interesting and exciting.

Exercise can be turned into a game

Training in and out is great. But sometimes they get too monotonous and annoying. In such situations, gadgets like the Kinect or Wii can be a great outlet.

Awful minutes of waiting in the past

Lines at banks, hospitals and other institutions are sometimes crazy. It is in such situations addicting game on your smartphone, tablet or console can help you not only have fun, but also save nerve cells.

Where do games play in your life? Do you consider them to be child's play, or is it a good way to pass the time?

According to research, more than half of Russians under the age of 30 play computer games. Not to mention the games on mobile phones, tablets, consoles, which are played by almost everyone who has these devices in stock.

The games are played by completely different people. All ages and professions. And everyone treats this occupation differently. Some are indifferent, others with approval, there are a lot of negative reviews about games and their impact on people. To understand where such reviews come from, it is worth understanding what constitutes game process and what effect it has on the human psyche and behavior.

In order not to be unfounded and not to argue at length, as people often do who do not play games and have rather vague ideas about them, I will immediately make a reservation - I myself am an avid gamer. It has become my hobby, and it continues to be for more than 10 years. I believe that it will remain with them forever. It all started at the age of 13, when I got my first computer, and with it the first game - Need for speed: Underground. It all started with her, and it was she who opened for me a completely new and unknown world - the world of computer games. Since then, games have become an integral part of my life. There were many different ones - single and multiplayer, "shooters" and strategies, role-playing (RPG, from the English. Role-Playing Game) and simulations. Each of them was special, with its own plot, characters and emotions, they were like books, but at the same time you were not an outside observer of their story. In the game, you were the creator. And it was your actions that depended on what would happen next. This feature of games has attracted and continues to attract millions of people.

Any game, in essence, is just a program code. But it is this code that creates for us a completely different reality and the emotions that we experience in it are quite real. Surprisingly, our brain does not see the difference between the real and the virtual world, even our dreams sometimes seem real, as well as the emotions they cause.

This property is used with success by game developers. The graphics are getting better every year; it got to the point that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish a photo from a screenshot from the game. But vision is the main organ through which we perceive information. But it's not just the picture that matters. Game physics - the behavior of a character, car, plane, or any other computer model controlled by the player - is of equal importance. Explosions, shots, falls, damage, sounds, the atmosphere itself also play a role. The more realistic it all looks, the more willingly our brain believes that this is actually happening.

Scientists in Russia and abroad have been studying the reactions of our body to virtual reality for a long time. So, during the international esports competitions, research was carried out on the heart rate of players. The results surprised scientists. The pulse of the athletes-gamers during the game was as if they were participating in a marathon race. The heart rate exceeded 140 beats per minute, while the norm is 60-70 beats per minute at rest. Also, scientists with the help of special devices investigated the activity of various parts of the brain. For the experiment, we used one of the games in the shooter genre. It turned out that during the game the same parts of the brain were activated as in similar life situations. The same results were obtained during an experiment with a flight simulator. It turns out that for our nervous system there is no fundamental difference as to how real what is happening. The reaction will be the same, but in real life its intensity will be higher.

I had a chance to make sure of this personally when, after frequent games in online shooters, while on the street, I suddenly caught myself on the fact that, being in a fairly open space, I begin to scour my eyes in search of possible shelters and look at the roofs of buildings, fearing get under the sight of a sniper. And after playing enough in the racing the Need series for speed and Colin McRae Rally with a steering wheel and pedals, and later sitting behind the wheel of a real car, I already approximately understood how a car can behave in different situations, including depending on the drive (front or rear). Later on it helped me when driving on real roads.

It turns out that games can also be useful? Maybe, but a lot depends on the game itself. Reality simulation games - shooters, flight simulators, racing simulators, vehicles, etc. really capable of teaching us how to act in certain circumstances. Moreover, many of them are made very realistically. Playing such games, we gain experience, and since the brain does not distinguish between a simulated situation and a real one, then finding ourselves in a similar situation in life, we will already know what to do. At least approximately.

A separate conversation is strategy games that require players, first of all, to be able to analyze and calculate. Such games are like chess, where every move, every action is important, and one minor mistake can eventually turn into a defeat. V recent times the online game Dota has gained immense popularity, in which, in addition to strategic thinking, you also need a good teamwork... Strategies train mindfulness, analytical skills, and spatial thinking well.

RPG games are also worth mentioning. Such games, both single-player and online, most often represent a huge fantasy world that lives by its own laws and rules, very different from those that exist in the real world. Great importance is given to the plot, atmosphere, appearance of characters and monsters. In RPGs, especially in MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online games), there is usually a system of character development and enhancement. As a rule, this process takes a very long time and can captivate the player for a long time. It takes a lot of time to understand the game, understand its principles, explore the capabilities of your hero, along the way exploring the world in which all this is happening. V good games people have been playing this genre for years, and their servers "live" for many years. There are not many benefits from such games, except that the process of studying the game itself is useful, in which you will have to memorize a lot of different information. But RPGs can take away a lot of free time and give a feeling of another life, on the other side of the screen, which to some may seem even more interesting than real life.

Yes, games can be addictive and addictive. The risk group is primarily children and adolescents, because, due to their age, they still have an insufficiently strong nervous system. And self-discipline is pretty lame. There are many cases when children and adolescents sit in the game for almost days, forgetting about everything in the world. But the games are hardly to blame. The reason most often lies in the inability to build relationships with peers, insufficient attention from parents, some internal personal problems and experiences, from which a person is saved by going into the virtual world. This happens not only with children, but also with adults.

In games, as in everything else, measure is important. Adults can often play all day long without fear of any consequences. Sometimes, on the contrary, the game gets boring after a while, and either you stop playing for a while, or you start playing another game. The situation with children is more complicated. After all, they are not yet formed personalities, and they cannot always control themselves.

If your child plays no more than 3 hours a day, then he will not have any dependence. But it is better to start playing with toys for a child no earlier than at the age of 10. It is equally important what games your child plays. It is imperative to pay attention to age restrictions - they exist for a reason. RPGs or strategies do not pose a great danger, but shooters and horror (horror games), in which a lot of shooting, blood, violence, and just creepy scenes, can cause some harm, you remember that our nervous system does not share the real and virtual. As a result, the brain remembers shooting and violence in the game as one of possible ways resolving conflict situations in life. As a result, stories often appear in the news about children who played games and started shooting at teachers and classmates at school.

Games shouldn't be the main thing in your life. The only exceptions are e-sportsmen, for whom games are not a pleasant way of spending time, but a real sport, with constant training, competition, experiences, victories and defeats. But they also find time to communicate with friends and family, study and romantic relationships. The game cannot replace all this, and it should not.

You need to try to monitor your posture and vision while playing. It is advisable to take breaks every hour, at least 5 minutes - get up from behind the computer, stretch your neck, do exercises for the eyes. It will take a little time, but it will help keep you healthy.

For older people, games can also benefit. When we tap the keys and move the mouse, we train fine motor skills hands; studying the world of the game and remembering how and for what to use this or that object - we train memory; engaging in battle with opponents - we improve the reaction; calculating moves and actions - we make our brain think and analyze.

There is one more important feature inherent mainly in MMO games - communication. In many games, in order to succeed or complete a certain quest (game task), it is necessary to unite with other players in a group. This can be either a temporary association - only to complete a quest, or a longer one - when you join a community of players who are just like you - a clan, guild, legion, regiment, etc. (the name can be any, but the essence is the same). Such a community includes dozens and sometimes hundreds of players; it always has a leader and a clear structure. Clan players often use special voice programs for communication and coordination of actions in the game, allowing them to speak and hear each other. In clans, mutual assistance and support are usually developed, which is important for both a beginner and an experienced player.

So, summing up, we can say that the harm from games is largely far-fetched. If you treat the game exactly as a game, it does not pose any serious danger. On the contrary, with a reasonable approach, it can even teach you something useful. But while playing, do not forget about real world- it is much more interesting and amazing than any virtual universe.

psychoanalyst's view

This is far from the first, and, of course, not the last article about psychology of computer games, which is written for a psychological site. The theme is fertile - computers have become an integral part of life, and computer games have become a tempting way to spend their free time.

• Why do people play computer games?

• Computer game: is it good or bad?

• How to get rid of gambling addiction?

These and other similar questions are asked by thousands of people to Yandex every day. Considering these questions through the prism of psychoanalytic experience, I will try to give my answers to them.

People who play games

There is a common misconception that it is predominantly teenagers who play computer games. This is not entirely true. Rather, adolescents are more open about their games. Adults, on the other hand, often find the fact that they are attracted to certain computer games somewhat embarrassing or even shameful. And they continue to play them, without advertising this fact among friends and strangers. In fact, computer games can take over a person of any age, gender, family and professional status.

Why are computer games attractive?

The game can take quite a long time (and not always free). However, many people prefer to spend their time in front of the monitor. Why is this happening?

Computer games allow you to be transported to the "other world". They, like nothing else, allow you to immerse yourself in this world very deeply, and even at the level of the body to feel its virtual reality. The situation of the game allows you to be as free inside it as "real reality" never allows. The worst consequence of a mistake or failure in a game is the need to close it and start over.

Games are attractive because they allow feel something what is missing in everyday life. Or, on the contrary, DO NOT feel something that is abundant in life. In addition, some games allow at least for a while to be someone someone else, someone attractive, whom the person would like to feel.

Example 1. To be Lara Croft?

A number of games, especially role-playing games, provide an opportunity feel like a different person than in reality. For example, a fearless, courageous, strong savior of an innocent victim of terrible monsters, or a beautiful, intelligent, athletic, extremely attractive female archaeologist who is ready to risk her life to acquire incredible artifacts.

The ability to feel one's own strength, attractiveness, fearlessly take risks, successfully unravel ingenious riddles is almost a drug. And the stronger he is, the fewer opportunities a person has to feel the same in his real life.

Example 2. Kill the monster!

Many games have a pronounced aggressive context: kill as many enemies as possible! crush a terrible monster! gain strength and become invincible! The player feels excitement, strength, power, and deep satisfaction from the massive destruction of virtual creatures. One might get the impression that the game causes aggression, which a person has not had before - a good argument against computer games?

Why do these games turn out to be so attractive for seemingly completely peaceful, sometimes even timid people in ordinary life? Because they let the suppressedand aggression... They help to express what a person does not allow himself to manifest in reality - after all, the more a feeling is suppressed, the stronger and stronger it becomes somewhere deep inside. The virtual situation is safe, it makes it possible not to feel fear and guilt - those feelings that form the basis for suppressing aggression.

Enthusiasm aggressive games- this is attempt get in touch with your aggression and perhaps learn to manage it. True, this attempt is not always successful, because virtual reality is still very different from real.

Example 3. Collecting solitaire ...

A whole layer of computer games (for example, logic games) are created in order to pass the time in situations of forced waiting. But sometimes it turns out that time is not at all superfluous, and it is impossible to tear yourself away from a simple and rather monotonous game. It would seem, well, what is it that addicts?

Occupying your attention, focusing on solving problems of varying degrees of complexity, observing a series of attractive visual images, going into an unpretentious virtual world of colored balls, cards, beautiful schemes, a person for a while moves away from alarm state... By shifting cards, grouping balls by color or collecting words from letters, a person temporarily stops the flow of disturbing thoughts and images. But the return to reality also brings anxiety back.

Computer games: pros and cons?

Computer games can look like an absolutely meaningless pastime if you look at them only from the perspective of external reality. For her, the person who spends hours in front of the monitor is practically lost. But since people are doing something, then it has some kind of mental meaning. Which?

From the point of view of internal (psychic) ​​reality, computer games represent a kind of way of mental self-regulation... Game process allows you to relieve mental stress(to some extent). So, the game "leaves" from stress, dissatisfaction with their lives and themselves, from the impossibility of showing any strong emotions in real relationships.

This way of dealing with difficulties is similar to using alcohol as a way of regulating one's state: play (like alcohol) allows you to quickly (but only for a short time) change the internal state and release tension. When games are often used as a means of achieving inner balance, it is possible development of gamingdependencies... The mechanism of formation of alcoholic and gambling addiction similar: when the mental stress is very high, there is a simple and rather pleasant way to quickly relieve it. This method does not require particularly large expenditures of time, energy, money ... In the case of alcohol, chemical dependence also comes into play. The creators of computer games are fighting for their client, using various psychological techniques, schemes, tricks, trying to create games that touch really deep strings in the human soul.

It is believed that the most addictive are network games... Coming into contact with other players in his virtual image, a person has the illusion of real relationships, real life. Then it's easy to lose track of hours and sometimes days. Physical needs, obligations to others, life circumstances fade into the background, and "the figure turns into the background" - virtual reality becomes more real for the player than "offline reality".

Virtual reality: entry and exit

If computer games have become anything more than a convenient way to while away free time, a person is faced with the fact that the passion for the game begins to disrupt the course of his daily life. The desire to go into the game becomes very demanding, even obsessive. And then an understanding may arise: "the games are over," gambling addiction . What to do?

Some people find it relatively easy to give up games. These are people with very great willpower and not very far-reaching passion for games. As a rule, such people, realizing their addiction, simply give up the game, remove it from the computer, and find for themselves other, more comfortable ways to deal with stress life.

Sometimes, friends who have realized their addiction, give up games together... The effect of a group arises: together it is easier to abandon the formed habit, it is easier to find for oneself already half-forgotten activities in real life. And, of course, another person taken as an ally in the fight against addiction is also controller(in front of which it is a shame to break), and support(so necessary sometimes in the struggle with oneself). Of course, such a person can be someone close who does not suffer from gambling addiction himself. He can "strengthen" the player's "I" captured by passion, offer to help his willpower and determination to find a way out of the virtual trap. But this help is really effective only if the player is aware of his addiction and wants to get rid of it himself.

Sometimes it is not possible to cope with addiction alone or even with the help of friends and relatives, despite all the efforts and desire. This is usually due to the fact that there is not just a habit, but a serious internal attachment to the game. This happens when the game "caters" to some important psychological needs or distracts from serious psychological problems. Then it is impossible to just close the game and turn off the computer - while there are problems, our psyche will look for their solution (and the easiest way - a virtual pseudo-solution - it has already found and will simply repeat it!). Therefore, getting rid of gambling addiction often lies through a decrease in the level of anxiety, release from internal conflicts, self-acceptance, self-respect and an increase in the ability to actively express oneself in the outside world, an increase in the ability to build and maintain close relationships with other people, and the acquisition of meaning in one's own life.

Psychologist-psychoanalyst
ECPP training analyst and supervisor

Computer games have firmly entered our life, taking the honorable place of the leader among the many ways to organize youth recreation. A virtual reality attracts with its endless possibilities, and the computer entertainment industry every year presents gamers with more and more new games, which it is simply impossible to refuse. However, everyone is trumpeting about the dangers of computer games - and the issue of gambling addiction is especially worried about parents, whose children spend all their free time at the monitor. Why are computer games dangerous and can they be useful?

The harm of computer games

The most important danger that computer games pose is the emergence of gambling addiction. This is a real mental disorder that requires the help of a qualified doctor and the support of family and friends.

A person who has succumbed to addiction to computer games literally lives in virtual reality, only occasionally "absenting" offline. Extreme gambling addiction- when a gambler loses his appetite (he does not want to be absent from games even for eating) and sleep (he regrets the time to rest and even in a dream continues to conquer worlds and kill enemies). The worst thing about this addiction is that it usually starts off quite harmlessly, without arousing suspicion on the part of loved ones. Therefore, it is so difficult to deal with gambling addiction - when it becomes obvious, it is not so easy to pull a gambling addict out of its tentacles.

The harm of computer games is especially noticeable for children, among whom adolescents are a special risk group. Their fragile psyche in a matter of days succumbs to the negative influence of games, and the problem of how to tear the child away from the computer becomes an acute problem for parents. In addition, children, unlike adults, do not know the measure and feel worse the sense of time - it seems to them that they have spent only a few minutes at the computer, while several hours have passed.

However, the harm of computer games affects adults as well. And if an adult can and should be next to a teenager who is obliged to pull him out of gambling addiction, then few people follow an adult gamer. And by the way, computer games, along with drunkenness and cheating, are becoming one of the most popular causes of divorce in young families. Well, what wife would like a husband who spends all his free time not with his family, but surrounded by virtual robots, zombies and killers? In addition, over time, the gamer becomes inattentive, absent-minded, he does not get along with his work, he ignores his duties. Gambling addiction causes family breakdown, problems at work, leads to depression and loneliness.

Many gamers go further and are willing to spend money to take advantage of paid services in online games. To become the strongest and coolest in a few minutes, without "pumping" your hero for several months - well, who doesn't dream of that? And the creators of online games "helpfully" slip such an opportunity to the players. Certainly not free. And since everything is not limited to one game, money slowly starts to flow out of the family, the gamer will eventually go into debt, real life begins to resemble living hell, but in virtual life he is a king, a god and a superhero. This is the price of gambling addiction.

Speaking about the dangers of computer games for children and adults, it is worth noting that a particular danger in this regard is represented by various shooters, adventure games, flying games and races.

Why are computer shooting games dangerous? This is the most dangerous type of games, since the gambling addiction caused by them is accompanied by aggressiveness and anger. And no wonder - for hours shooting people in virtual world, you are unlikely to become a kind-hearted person.

Adventurers, flying games and races are also harmful, which, although not characterized by aggression, require increased attention, addictive, and it is difficult to break away from them. Of course, it seems absolutely impossible for a gamer to press pause during the next race or passing the maze.

And, of course, online computer games are dangerous in terms of the above-mentioned material waste.

In addition, constant sitting at a computer can cause negative consequences: vision deterioration, problems with excess weight and musculoskeletal system, and numbness of the hands. You can read more about the effect of a computer on health in.

The benefits of computer games

After all you've read, do you still believe that computer games can be useful? It turns out that it really can be!

First of all, it is worth paying attention to the varieties of computer games that contribute to the development of intelligence, logic, attention, memory and other qualities. These are different logic games, puzzles, rebuses. Strategies take a special place among such games. Such games do not require increased attention, speed, eye strain. They are measured and designed for a long time. They can be interrupted at any time without risking being killed or eaten.

There are a number of educational computer games for young children from 3 to 5 years old. They will teach the kid letters and numbers, introduce them to the world of animals and plants, have a beneficial effect on the development of the emotional sphere, contribute to the development of hand motor skills (manipulations with a joystick, mouse and keyboard), visual memory, ear for music.

The benefits of computer games for younger schoolchildren are obvious.- a lot of educational games have been developed for them, which will help to deepen their knowledge in a particular area, teach them to act in various situations, contribute to the formation of perseverance, concentration, attentiveness.

With the help of computer games, you can unobtrusively teach your child foreign languages, improve his knowledge of a particular subject, develop “lame” qualities and abilities. Of course, the computer should not become the only source of development for your child - books that develop board games, constructors, puzzles and, of course, parental attention and affection as an integral companion of all activities.

That is why the direct responsibility of parents is not to prohibit the child from interacting with the computer, thereby causing resentment and aggression, provoking him to escapes to Internet clubs (where, for sure, no one will offer him educational games, but will be loaded with shooters and walkers), but to choose the most optimal for him, options for computer games, draw up a lesson plan for them, allow him to play "harmful" shooters for a certain time limit, stimulate the child to rest not only in the virtual world, but also in the real world.

And for an adult there is a benefit of computer games, "consumed" in moderation... This is a good way to relax after a hard day at work, to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle, "to use your brains." As in the case with children, the type of game is important here (well, what kind of rest and relaxation in the next shooter?) And the time that is given to it. From 1-2 hours a day spent in computer worlds, nothing bad will happen.

The harm and benefits of computer games. Outcome

What do we end up with? As it turned out, everything depends on a sense of proportion and a kind of game. Virtual reality should not take up all a person's free time, it should also not provoke him to cruelty, develop aggression and anger in him. It should just be one of the leisure options, along with sports, walking on fresh air, reading books, watching movies, meeting friends ...

If you understand that you are deprived of all of the above, and only games are left in your life - urgently fight this! Better yet, just avoid this situation. Life is so beautiful and varied - and it would be so stupid to spend it all sitting in front of a monitor screen.