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The podcast discusses the impact of video games on child development. The participants believe that video games have social, cognitive, and educational benefits. Teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and strategy are some skills developed through gaming. However, there are also negative aspects, such as violence, addiction, and sleep deprivation. It is important for parents to set limits and prioritize other responsibilities. Overall, video games can be beneficial when played in moderation. Hello and welcome to the first podcast of GM Squared. My name is Mason Goresh. Here joining me today is Regan McFarland, Cory Murphy, and Brandon Greiner. We will be discussing video games and how they affect child development. First, let us define those terms. So what is child development and what are video games? Thanks, Mason. Child development is the growth of perceptual, emotional, intellectual, and behavioral capabilities and how they function during childhood. Now, we all know what video games are. However, some examples are Fortnite, Super Mario Brothers, NBA 2K, Madden, and so much more. So, to start off, video games have been kind of like a huge part of like our life. Even throughout elementary school, there was a lot of controversy deciding whether or not they're good or they're bad for you. But actually, Cory is on the eSports team and he is like a professional gamer, so I think he is the perfect person to start out with here. Cory, what do you think about video games? Yeah, I'm on the eSports team here at Simpson. I think being on the eSports team is like really good for like social activity because you really meet a lot of different people, different personalities in eSports. So, it really helps you open up to different like groups of people. So, I think like that's a big part of gaming. Yeah, definitely. I've been playing video games for a little bit. I'm not a super big gamer, but me and my friends get on and get them out. And like Cory said, it's really good for the social aspect. But I also think you can learn a lot during video games, especially ones that are like sports games or even ones that help you learn like strategies and stuff. So, I think video games are definitely beneficial. Yeah, I would have to agree with Nathan. I don't play a whole lot, but I do think there are definitely some benefits. And I think that the benefits definitely outweigh the cons. Cory, I'm going to come back to you with a question here. Do you guys ever have to do teamwork in eSports? Yeah, I'm actually on the Rocket League team. So, Rocket League, it's like a 3v3 car soccer game. So, you kind of have to use teamwork a lot with like passing and defense and offense. It kind of all works together. Like communicating too? Yeah, you have to communicate where you are, what you're doing, what you plan to do. So, it's kind of just really, you have to have teamwork to be good. So, teamwork is just really big in gaming. Well, from a study from Utah Valley Pediatrics, video games can be used to improve test scores, teach life and job skills, improve brain function and encourage physical exercise. I think this is a great thing because obviously, people say that Roger Brown is true because just because it's not like pen and paper, you still have to, similar to what Cory said, you still have to like think and go through things and there can be a lot of strategy involved. You know what I mean? What do you guys think about that? Yeah, even in another article that I was looking at by Cam Adair, it talks about all the pros and it says like improved cognitive functioning, problem-solving skills and use of logic, hand-eye coordination, faster and more accurate decision-making, improved eye for details, and there's a lot more. But there are definitely a lot of benefits and a lot of ways that it will help you in your day-to-day life. So, yeah, there are definitely a lot of benefits for video games. But there's also some cons and I think we should talk about those a little bit. Mason, let me stop you right there for a second. Let's hear from today's sponsor. So, today's sponsor is actually a video game, coincidentally. Today's sponsor is Clash Clans. Clash Clans is a mobile game where you can download on your phone. It's an MMO game where players build their own village using resources gained from attacking other people's villages. The game features a mix of building, strategy, and combat elements, allowing players to raise armies, join clans, and participate in epic clan wars. This game is an incredibly fun app. It teaches you a lot of strategies, which can be beneficial. Actually, I myself play it. I'm actually in a clan with a lot of my football buddies and a lot of friends, so it's social. I also am an advocate for Clash of Clans, a gamer. I used to be, but I got too many notifications on there, so I decided just to delete the app. Do you play, Corey? I play like once a week. That's all you need. All you need is to keep upgrading your talent. Hay Day is better. I don't know about that one. I would have to disagree. So, obviously, there are a lot of benefits of playing video games, but let's play Devil's Advocate here. What are some bad things about video games, do you guys think? Well, first, I want to start off. Do you guys play GTA? I do. I have never played GTA, actually. And why is that? I think it's very violent. See, according to Ralphie Hansen, our textbook, there are many conflicts over video games. Such video games include GTA due to violence. Look at that. I was right. Wow, crazy how that works. Well, other video games that aren't even violent, like Pokemon Go, it's a game where you walk around and you play Pokemon in a real life walk around. Somebody was driving it one day, and they hit it back up. They ran into the police car, because they were playing Pokemon Go and driving, which I think is incredibly stupid. That game, Pokemon Go, I'm pretty sure I've heard a lot of stories and different things about how people were getting injured because they were just walking down the street to try and catch a Pokemon or something. Exactly. Which is so silly. Like, Pokemon in the book, it does state that there are some inappropriate behaviors, such as looking for Pokemon at Washington's Holocaust Museum. That's crazy. Or the former Auschwitz concentration camp. Oh my god. Okay, well, I think this leads us perfectly to addiction. It can lead you to addiction. Addiction, similar to nicotine and cigarettes and alcohol and cocaine, it does the same chemicals in your brain that video games do. Same thing as gambling. It's like a dopamine release, which can cause addiction. And this can actually make you do bad in school. We talked about how it's good socially, but video games can actually socially isolate you if you let them. Yes, I was definitely, and I'm not trying to point fingers at all, but I know a couple people that definitely play video games a little bit too much and they're up until like 4 a.m. every night just playing video games and I think that would fall under the category of addiction. Well, I think, Corey, you and I are on the football team based on the basketball team. Regan, you have a sports background from where you went to school. I think staying up all night, like Coach Schmitz and Coach Chen talk about sleep. Talking about sleep, so I think staying up video games can affect your mental health because you can lose sleep over it. Yeah, so we should try and wrap this up as we're getting over time. So, in conclusion, do we have any final thoughts? I think video games are good. We can do a kind of good clap right here. Definitely. Sorry, I kind of jumped butted in there. I think video games are good in moderation. Obviously, if you have addiction, you probably should stay back. You probably should stay back. If it's affecting your home life, probably stay back. But other than that, I'm all for video games. I think that when I raise kids, I'll allow them to play video games. Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Regan. He kind of hit it right on the head of the nail. He kind of got everything that I was going to say. Yeah, I would also have to agree that it's good in moderation. According to a clinic expert, Nancy Ann, parents need to put clear limits on their child's gaming. And I would agree with this. I think that the child needs to do their other responsibilities, such as chores or homework, first. What do you think, Mason? Yeah, no, I definitely agree. I think it's also very situational. I think video games are good when they're not being addicted and overplayed too much. And I also think certain video games are better than others. But they're definitely good. Um, yeah, so that was all we have for our first podcast over video games and children. Thank you for listening to MG Squared. And hopefully it was beneficial. And hopefully you learned a lot. See y'all next time. And this is GM Squared signing out. See you guys. See ya.