In sixth grade, I received an Xbox 360 for Christmas. From that moment on, I definitely considered myself a gamer. Each day, I would go home after school and play a few hours online with my friends. My weekends were also dominated with Xbox, specifically Call of Duty. When I asked the members of my group in ENG 101 to say some qualities of a gamer, I received many responses, most being negative. Most answers involved describing gamers as lazy couch potatoes that never leave their house. My research has reinforced my belief that this stereotype is not true. Countless studies have been made regarding this topic and the evidence consistently shows how the video game industry is growing and that they can increase both hand eye coordination and the ability to track objectives. First person shooter video games also increase reaction time, as a player has to react and aim to his target moving across the screen. Most research cites the cognitive benefits of video games, with few citing the social benefits. The main benefit I received from video games was the social benefits of constantly being able to talk with my friends. Running home each day after school, I was pretty excited to play the game itself, but I really just wanted to hang out with my friends. Typically, I would only play if my friends were also online. Today, I definitely still enjoy playing good video games. However, I would not classify myself anywhere near the gamer status that I was a part of in middle school.
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