Read My Boring Theory or the Little Virtual Man Gets It!!!

Video Games and the Teenage Mined

Ever since computer, arcade and video games have been existent and gained more and more popularity over the past 20 years there have been constant issues raised as to how they impact society's younger generation.

These concerns are arguably not without reason; however at times society tends to forget that it is not only the construction of certain virtual realities that should be at question, but it is the nature of the human mined itself that also needs to be of primary focus.

In the case of this article my attention particularly rests on the psychology of a specific age level:
The teens have naturally proven themselves to be the most difficult and complex phenomenon in human behaviour and development. Brain scans suggest that a teenage mind toils harder when inferring the outlook of others, compared with adults. And a brain region implicated in theory of mind, the medial prefrontal cortex, continues to develop through adolescence.

Basing assumptions on this theory of brain development, some discoveries have also shown that at the break of adolescence there is a blocking of certain sensory passages in the frontal cortex of the human brain creating a laps in emotional understanding, in particular the emotion of compassion. Compassion is one of the key emotions to understanding the pain of another rather than only our own, therefore while such an emotion remains blocked, the mined can easier engage in violence that is featured within the virtual world. Hence it is not only the idea that this virtual world of (e.g. Grand Theft Auto) is not real that gives an adolescent the freedom of shooting virtual citizens, beating up prostitutes and stealing cars without any guilt, it is also the developmental gap that for a time being rejects the emotion of compassion. As violence becomes imminent within a game, the cognitive parts of the brain become more active. And during a fight, emotional parts of the brain, such as the amygdala and parts of the anterior cingulated cortex, shut down. This pattern is the same as that seen in subjects who have had brain scans during other simulated violent situations such as imagining an aggressive encounter. Therefore, if these parts of the brain are known to only be developing from the ages of 12 to 16, this may mean that they do not yet have a well functioning sense of emotion. Not to say that one needs to be emotionally involved in games, but interestingly enough an adult considers the circumstances and repercussions of a virtual game too a much greater level than a teen as an adult may just the same often be more considerate of real life circumstances.

Nevertheless, such topics remain open and arguable within the relationship of science, psychology and gaming.

Interesting Links on the topic:

http://www.newscientist.com/topic/teenagers

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9938-instant-expert-teenagers.html