INTRODUCTION:
Gaming has become a favorite pastime among children,
adolescents, and adults. Competitive gaming (e-sport) is gaining popularity as a
spectator sport and professional competition. Among teenage boys and girls in
the India, 50% of Indian gamers are aged 18-30, with a male to female ratio of
roughly 60:40. > Out of 568 million gamers. In addition, it has been reported
that children spend as much as 7 to 11 hours on weekdays engaged with screen-
based after-school activities.
Most video games are usually E rated for everyone or M rated for
mature audience. In an M rated game, the content is blood and gore, intense
violence, strong language and sometimes use of drugs. In an E rated game, the
content is usually mild violence, mild language, and blood. My experiment
which determines the variation in heart rate while playing video games. The
normal heart rate for an average person is between 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Video games that are usually calm and played while sitting down lead toa small
rise in persons heart rate.
However, violent video games played while sitting down, and also
those that require light physical activity, turn out to increase the heart rate by an
average of about 20 beats per minute. Video games that require intense physical
activity can increase a persons heart rate by a large amount such as 75% to
100%. It usually depends on the age of the player. When a person is a child
their average heart rate is suppose to be at around 100 beats per minute. The
heart rate goes down to about 90 beats as the child becomes in the range of 10
to 14 old. At around the age of 18 the average heart rate falls drastically
between 55 beats per minute to 90 beats per minute, with an average of 75 beats
per minute.
Video games may affect the heart rate directly or indirectly affect
our health. Research has also revealed that playing video games help burn
calories, lose weight, and could replace the need for outdoor activities in the
future. The factors that affect heart rate can be physical stress, diseased heart,
and emotional stress.
video games have the potential to help promote healthier behaviors
and positive outcomes, too. One small study revealed that children aged 10 to
12 who played the specific video games designed to help increase fruit and
vegetable intake did eat more of these foods afterwards, despite not really
impacting their physical activity.
The impact of video games on heart rate variability (HRV). We
will analyze how different genres of games can influence physiological
responses and overall well-being. Understanding these effects in sights into
both the benefits and risks associated with gaming.
Sleeping less than seven hours at night has been associated with
arrhythmias, high blood pressure, and even weight gain.
Arrhythmia:
An arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat that can cause the heart to
beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.
PHYSICAL STRESS:
Hard work and exercise increase the heart rate of a healthy heart.
The body’s needs more oxygen, the heart beats faster and faster. In an
unhealthy heart, the increased demands for oxygen may injure the heart and
cause a slow heart rate.
Playing video games for long periods of time can lead to physical
health issues, including:
1. Eye strain: staring at a screen for too long can cause eye pain, blurred
vision, and headaches.
2. Neurochemical imbalances: excessive gaming can cause the brain to
release too much cortisol, the stress hormone.
To reduce the risk of physical health issues,
1. Use a blue light filter: blue light can be harmful to your eyesight, so you
can use a blue light filter on your screen or blue light filtering glasses.
2. Exercise: Regular exercise can help counteract the sedentary nature of
gaming and improve your overall well being
Playing video games can also cause mental health issues, such as;
1. Isolation: if you spend hours alone gaming, you might ignore real life
friendships and connections, which can lead to isolation.
2. Game anxiety: You might feel anxious if you cannot complete a game or
if you let your teammates down in multiplayer gameplay.
EMOTIONAL STRESS:
Emotional stress causes the same effects as physical stress. Fear
causes the pump faster and harder to provide muscles with necessary energy for
protection. I think that some of these factors could have led to an increase in
my heart rate during the experiment.
There is a large body of research suggesting that playing violent
video games is positively associated with increased scores on measures of
aggression.
It could induce some stress, some adrenaline, raise your heart rate.
But if that's balanced with time outside exercising or participating in sports or
other physical activity, you're not likely to have an early heart attack just
because you played video games.
The impact of video games on emotional stress can vary depending on the type
of game, the player’s experience and the player’s relationship with the game:
1. Violent games: some research suggests that playing violent video games
can increase aggression.
2. Puzzle games: playing games can decrease the secretion of stress
hormones like cortisol and alpha amylase.
3. Game anxiety: players can experience game anxiety, which include
repetitive thought loops, especially about things they cannot complete.
4. Sense of achievement: players can feel a sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction when they achieve goals and objectives in the game.
Impact of multiplayer games:
Multiplayer games can create a unique social environment that
affects HRV. The presence of competition and collaboration may lead to
increased emotional responses, influencing heart rate patterns. Understanding
these dynamics is essential for assessing gaming’s social impact.
