This year the PlayStation marks its 20th anniversary meaning that those of us, like myself, born in Generation X (1990's-2000- the children born from the adult baby boomers) have been exposed to video games in someway for all of their lives. Because of this interest has snowballed into the effects of video gaming on gamers, now becoming one of the most controversial topics in psychology.
Many researchers in psychology and communication studies believe that video gaming and playing specific games makes a person aggressive, whereas other researchers have found that game playing can sharpen the mind and have a positive impact on cognition.
As it is now a social norm to have at least one gaming console in a household it is understandable why the area is so heavily researched- as it effects almost every household in the UK and USA. Because of this the BBC have created a documentary showcasing the debate and the research on both sides of the fence, research suggesting gaming causes aggression and research suggesting gaming causes prosocial behaviours and is cognitively beneficial to humans.
Check it out on BBC Iplayer (link below) and let me know what you guys think. Which side of the fence do you sit on? Are there particular games you deem 'better' or 'worse' for people? For yourselves or for your children?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06cjypk/horizon-20142015-19-are-video-games-really-that-bad
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