MMORPGs and Diminishing Health

I’ve touched on the negative psychological effects that Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games can have on its avid gamers. However there are also dangerous physical effects players can acquire during excessive amounts of playing. Some of these side effects are stemmed from psychological dependence and addiction; while others are just arise from the physical task of playing these games.

Cases have been reported of people suffering physical ailments related to gaming. In South Korea multiple people actually died from cardiac arrest due to daylong gaming sessions without food or water. Although this is a rarity it still happens and needs to be addressed.

An article in Time magazine, states there is a strong correlation between regular gaming increased depression, higher body mass index (BMI), and numerous other negative physical and mental health issues. Increased body mass index is probably the most common of health issues avid gamers suffer. Time spent at the gym or partaking in physical activities is replaced by sitting in front of a screen pressing buttons. Increased BMI can result in cardiac arrest, diabetes, and stroke (National Center for Health Marketing).

There is such a strong correlation with excessive gaming and health issues that the website, video-game-addiction.org, was created to help users identify these health problems. Among the previously stated aliments that can arise from partaking in too much MMORPGs, various other health issues can arise. Many gamers suffer from migraines, sleep disturbances, and carpal tunnel syndrome. However there is a new physical ailment circulating doctor’s offices that is solely caused by gaming. It is called Playstation Palm.

 Over-enthusiastic and excessive handling of the “joypads” or remotes used to control gaming consoles causes Playstation Palm. This condition was identified in the British Journal of Dermatology and is identified by painful sore patches on the palms of the gamer’s hands. This condition marks one of the first to be solely caused by participating in excessive game play, whether that be through MMORPGs or regular video games. 

Gamer suffering from “Playstation Palm”.

MMORPGs can also have an effect on a gamer’s levels of brain activity. No matter how complex a certain quest may be, the truth is it will not utilize as much brain power as a regular daily activity would. As discussed on megagames.com, Akio Mori, a professor at Tokyo's Nihon University, conducted a recent study observing the effects of video games on brain activity. The results showed a higher decrease of beta waves the more one played video games. "Beta wave activity in people in the [highest amount of video game playing] was constantly near zero, even when they weren't playing, showing that they hardly used the prefrontal regions of their brains. Many of the people in this group told researchers that they got angry easily, couldn't concentrate, and had trouble associating with friends. Although these levels of brain activity are only temporary they can be extremely dangerous for children and adolescents who are still growing.

Youths who are heavy gamers can end up with “video-game brain” a condition where key parts of the frontal region of their brain become chronically underused, altering moods. This lack of use in the frontal brain can change moods and could account for aggressive and reclusive behavior. It is quite possibly that the gunmen in the infamous Columbine shootings suffered from this very condition. Causing them to act irrationally and take a dozen lives.

So although MMORPG gaming could lead to positive advance in the workforce, is it worth risking the possible physical and psychological effects that come with it? Like a balanced diet, video game consumption should be monitored and kept at a level where one can partake in an active and social lifestyle in the real world. 

-Kristen C.