 Is gaming bad for your brain and how violent games affect the brain? You probably got yelled at by a boomer saying that gaming is the cause of eye, brain and other health issues. And it doesn't make sense at all. What if they're actually right this whole time? Is gaming really bad for your brain? There are actually a lot of studies on this topic and I'll show you a few of them. I got most of my info from dana.org and they say that video games do affect your brain but it barely translates to real-life actions. So video games do have present cons to the brain. It just doesn't affect your brain a ton. These studies are mostly measuring violent games by the way. Let's talk about why video games are bad for your brain first. In one study, 161 college students were randomly played one of several games. The ones who played violent first person shooters were more harmful. The ones who played neutral or pro-social games were more helpful. Players who played violent games also have more aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Why? In another study, 8 men played a game to destroy enemies tanks in the battlefield for a reward. Researchers found that dopamine was released in the brain as they played. Dopamine makes you feel rewarded and good when getting a kill or winning in a game. This makes people link dopamine with violence and winning. Some good things games help are with planning. Here's why. 13 gamers got their brain scanned. Researchers noted a pattern. Right before the game was gunfires, they received greater activity from the dorsal anterior cortex where all the planning happens. They showed less activity in the RAC cortex though where the emotional responses happen. This can mean that when they see a violent action that happens in real life or in game, they're not as surprised or active or emotional. Studies also show that gamers are doing worse than non-gamers in school. As more gamers start playing more games, they might be not doing as much homework, not paying enough attention in class and other education related problems. Some might even consider it an addiction if you game instead of even going to school as a whole. Gaming addiction is a big problem for kids. Since their brain is still grown, they might even forget or ignore basic needs like food and showering. A lot of people would say that games increase hand-eye card nation and reaction time and here's what the study says about that. As I said earlier about the decision making before firing your weapon, the dorsal anterior cortex does get more active while gaming, which leads to faster decisions, which increases reaction time and hand-eye coordination. Also I mentioned that violent games connect to more aggressive behavior. A lot of parents might say it's causing school shootings or those teenage police car chases. This isn't true. Politicians blame violent games when it has nothing to do with it. So in conclusion, gaming isn't bad for your brain. Benefits like faster decision making and some cons like more aggressive behavior. Thanks for watching and let's have a discussion about this.