There isn't a lot of information on games that can change the way someone thinks but the two most notable sources suggest that games are beginning to get that way.
source one is a study from Massachusetts General hospital that suggested violent games like Grand Theft Auto can help children manage stress and be more social especially boys whose social activities can centre around video games.
It later goes on to show that whilst
the amount of 18+ video games is on the rise, youth crime is lowering. The
study Cites ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ as the most popular game amongst the boys and
2nd most popular after ‘the Sims’ for girls.
The study shows that violent video games can
in fact affect the players’ mental well being in a positive way. The same goes for Professor Rosenthal of the Duke University whose research has gone into
helping those whose problems revolve around neural problems, such as addictions.
Professor Rosenthal has used the basis of Pavlov’s bell
within a game to aid drug users in overcoming their addictions. Wikipedia
states Pavlov’s theory as follows, “...When a bell was rung in subsequent time with food being
presented to the dog in consecutive sequences, the dog will initially salivate
when the food is presented. The dog will later come to associate the ringing of
the bell with the presentation of the food and salivate upon the ringing of the
bell.” (Wikipedia, 2012) Methods of
‘conditioning’ followed from this theory and it is this method that Professor
Rosenthal utilised in his game. The game works by placing the addict in a
virtual environment where cravings are apparent, whenever the user turns down
their cravings a pleasing tone is rung, then in the real world the addict can
ring a free number on their mobile when cravings hit and the tone is played.
Through conditioning the drug users feel more comfortable about not giving into
their cravings. Professor Rosenthal results found that at least one person
overcame their drug abuse with this method, the rehabilitated addict stating “The
program has done wonders for me…Although I have fallen since I came out of the program,
I am clean and have been clean for a good while.” (Abc News, 2007)
This in itself shows that video games can change the way people act in society help people on a mental level.
Abc News (2007) Virtual Reality Game Helps Drug Addicts
Recover.
Available from: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=3819621&page=1#.T5vrI8RYslY [Accessed 11th may 2012]
News Staff (2007) Violent Video Games Help Kids Manage Stress.
Available From: http://www.science20.com/news_articles/violent_video_games_help_kids_manage_stress-2511
[Accessed 11th may 2012]
Wikipedia (2012) Ivan Pavlov.
Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov [Accessed 11th may 2012]
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