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    The Effect of Video Games On The Body

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    Prerana Gutla
    1. This document describes an experiment that measures the effect of playing video games on the body's stress response systems. The experiment tests subjects' heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, reaction time, and pain tolerance before, during, and after playing an exciting video game. 2. The results show that playing video games increases heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure as the body's fight-or-flight response is triggered, even though there is no real danger. This response also decreases sensitivity to pain. 3. The fight-or-flight response evolved to help humans survive threats in prehistoric times by increasing strength, speed, and other factors through the release of adrenaline and other hormones. While

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    The Effect of Video Games On The Body

    Uploaded by

    Prerana Gutla
    521 views4 pages
    1. This document describes an experiment that measures the effect of playing video games on the body's stress response systems. The experiment tests subjects' heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, reaction time, and pain tolerance before, during, and after playing an exciting video game. 2. The results show that playing video games increases heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure as the body's fight-or-flight response is triggered, even though there is no real danger. This response also decreases sensitivity to pain. 3. The fight-or-flight response evolved to help humans survive threats in prehistoric times by increasing strength, speed, and other factors through the release of adrenaline and other hormones. While

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    1. This document describes an experiment that measures the effect of playing video games on the body's stress response systems. The experiment tests subjects' heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, reaction time, and pain tolerance before, during, and after playing an exciting video game. 2. The results show that playing video games increases heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure as the body's fight-or-flight response is triggered, even though there is no real danger. This response also decreases sensitivity to pain. 3. The fight-or-flight response evolved to help humans survive threats in prehistoric times by increasing strength, speed, and other factors through the release of adrenaline and other hormones. While

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    521 views4 pages

    The Effect of Video Games On The Body

    Uploaded by

    Prerana Gutla
    1. This document describes an experiment that measures the effect of playing video games on the body's stress response systems. The experiment tests subjects' heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, reaction time, and pain tolerance before, during, and after playing an exciting video game. 2. The results show that playing video games increases heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure as the body's fight-or-flight response is triggered, even though there is no real danger. This response also decreases sensitivity to pain. 3. The fight-or-flight response evolved to help humans survive threats in prehistoric times by increasing strength, speed, and other factors through the release of adrenaline and other hormones. While

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    The Effect of Video Games On the Body

    In video games, youre in a virtual world where enemies lurk


    around every corner. But how do these games impact your body
    in real life? The excitement of a computer or video game can be
    intense. Does your body know the difference between real life
    enemies and those on the screen? Find out in this video game
    science fair project!
    Problem
    Can video games trigger an adrenaline response?
    Can playing video games change your blood pressure, breathing
    rate, heart rate, and pain tolerance
    Materials

    Toothpicks

    Watch

    Notebook

    Pencil

    Blood pressure monitor

    Ruler

    Action video game and console

    Stopwatch

    Notebook

    Pencil

    Ball
    Procedure

    1.

    To begin this experiment, youll need an exciting video game


    thats fast-paced and involves danger.

    2.

    Find a few friends to be your test subjects. When youre


    collecting your data, take note of your test subjects ages,
    genders, and experience with video games to see if you can find
    any trends or patterns correlating with those variables.

    3.

    Begin by taking your first test subjects breathing rate. Set


    your stopwatch for a minute and count the number of breaths
    your friend takes. Record it in your notebook.

    4.

    Now, take you friends pulse. Place your fingers under your
    friends jaw and slightly off to the side, a push in gently until you
    can feel a pulse. Again, set your stopwatch for a minute and count
    the number of times that your friends heart beats. Record it in
    your notebook.

    5.

    If you have access to a blood pressure monitor, place it


    around your friends arm, and read her blood pressure
    measurement. Record it in your notebook.

    6.

    Now, test your friends reaction time. The procedure for


    testing reaction time can be found here.

    7.

    Finally, test your friends pain tolerance. Have her look away,
    and poke her ten times on the arm with the toothpick. Be gentle!
    Have her count how many pokes she can feel.

    8.

    Now, turn on the video game. Have your friend play the
    game for ten minutes. Make sure that youre playing through
    some intense action sequences.

    9.

    Immediately after your friend stops playing, take her


    breathing rate and blood pressure. Record your data.

    10.

    Resume gameplay for five minutes.

    11.
    Pause the game. Take your friends pulse and test her
    reaction time. Record your data.

    12.
    Resume gameplay again for another five minutes. Then
    begin your poking test while your friend is still playing. Poke her
    arm 15 times and then pause the game. Ask her tell you how
    many times she was poked, and record your data.
    Results
    When you get excited by video games, your heart rate, breathing
    rate, and blood pressure increase. Your perception of pain
    decreases, so youre less sensitive to being poked.
    Why?
    Your body works in many amazing and quiet ways. Right now, you
    are breathing, and probably digesting food. Your heart is beating,
    and you dont even have to think about it. Your bodys systems
    help maintain a state of homeostasis, where all internal
    processes are stable and constant.
    The sympathetic nervous system is one of your bodys
    regulatory mechanisms. One of its jobs is to deal with stress. The
    nervous system is programmed with a fight-or-flight response
    (also called the acute stress response) to increase your
    chances of survival if you find yourself in danger. This response is
    triggered instinctively in reaction to a perceived threat to survival
    rather than activated consciously or by choice, and adapts your
    bodys systems to prepare you to either fight that danger or to
    evade it by running away. So when your mind is focused on
    watching a scary movie or playing a video game with intense
    action, even though you may not actually be in real danger, your
    adrenal medulla gland still springs into action because of your
    stressed state. It releases hormones and a rush of adrenaline
    that could help you fight or get away by increasing blood
    pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate, turning fat into available
    energy, suspending digestion, and dilating pupils.
    All of these factors work together to increase your strength and
    speed. Did your subjects reaction times improve? Dilated pupils
    help you see more clearly, and muscle tension and increased
    blood flow readies your muscles for action and amplifies your
    agility. Were your subjects hands sweaty after playing for a
    while? During an adrenaline response, your body increases

    perspiration to prevent overheating due to the higher rate that


    youre expending energy. Your body even increases how fast your
    blood coagulates so that if youre injured, youll experience less
    blood loss. Decreased or no perception of pain, called analgesia,
    is also an effect of these life-preserving hormones.
    All animals are equipped with a survival response. The flame
    scallop shoots water out of its shell to flee in the opposite
    direction. Blue-tailed skinks detach their brightly-colored tails to
    distract predators while they scurry away. The stingray thrusts out
    its poisonous barb as a defense. Other animals excrete venom or
    go rigid to appear dead.
    Although in our modern age, unlike prehistoric humans, we do not
    rely on the fight-or-flight response for our daily survival, it still
    functions in the times when we do encounter danger, or when we
    subconsciously perceive a threat. There are many recent recorded
    instances of adrenaline response provide superhuman strength
    people lifting cars, wrestling bears, leaping inconceivable
    distances for their or others survival, completely unaware of
    injuries they had sustained.
    Going Further
    Take a look at your test subjects. How did the stress response in
    males differ from females? Were your friends who regularly play
    these kinds of action video games more or less affected by the
    video game? Did age factor in to your test subjects reactions?
    The more people you include in your experiment, the more
    insightful your data and conclusions will be.

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