Positive and Negative impacts of video games on a child

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF VIDEO GAMES ON A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT

Video games are undeniably entertaining and addictive, especially for students and children. Video games were built with the sole purpose of providing entertainment to the masses, and in this stride, different genres were developed catering to the various sects of the society. For boys, mission games are made, and for girls, grooming, makeup, and cooking games are developed. Similarly, games that draw the interests of the adults are also made.

Today, the prevalence of video games in society is massive. Many people have made their career in this particular field through game development, graphic designing, coding, building software, and hardware, making gaming consoles and playing games online as professionals.

Video games are frowned upon by many parents and media as they are believed to propagate violence. Some games are based on the extremity that involves killing, shooting, and rampage. For children, such types of games are not considered to be healthy for brain development. It can also affect their thinking abilities, and they may form a rude behavior and bully other people based on such graphics and visuals. In a study, it was discovered that on average, boys spend more than 13 hours a week playing games while girls play games for about 5.5 hours a week. People all over the world spend 3 billion hours per week playing video games. Such a staggering number is indicative of the influence of video games on society.

These games have several positive as well as negative impacts on the life of an individual. Here we have discussed both the type of influences.

POSITIVE IMPACTS

Video games have numerous positive impacts. Following are a few advantages of playing video games:-

• Video games are a great source of entertainment.
• It is a fun activity that can help friends, family members, and siblings to bond with each other and also spend quality time enjoying the process.
• Video games offer a variety of career options to individuals. Today, the video game industry is massive, that is generating numerous career opportunities for individuals in different parts of the world. Game development is an intricate process that is composed of several stages. Each stage requires a different set of skills. Students can be encouraged to explore their interests and develop these skills as they will help them in making a good career in the video game industry. Students can learn about graphic-designing, story-writing, game development, coding, etc.
• In a recent survey conducted, it was discovered that the people who played action-based video games frequently are more susceptible and 25% faster in reacting to a situation without compromising accuracy. Hence, video games help in developing the alertness of a person.
• Another study indicated that students who play video games are more creative and managed to score higher in tests related to creativity.
• Gamers usually have a higher degree of perpetual and cognitive ability. Their performance was also considered to be significantly higher compared to the other students.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS

Video games are also notorious for having various negative impacts on the life of the students as well as adults. Some of these are mentioned as follows:-

• In a survey, it was found that students who are addicted to playing video games spend 30% less time reading and 34% less time doing homework.
• A majority of students in the primary schooling years prefer violent games. These games can relay severe implications on the young minds of these students, and they become more abusive and aggressive.
• A staggering 98% of the pediatricians believe that violent media and video games have a powerful impact on the mentality of the students. They tend to be more aggressive and develop a revolting personality.
• Video games are addictive, and children spend numerous hours sitting in front of their device screens. This hampers their productivity and also affects their studies and schedule.
• Online games are even more dangerous and violent. People tend to use abusive language that can be sensitive to the minds of young students.
• Students fall prey to the evil influence portrayed in several video games that can cause anxiety, stress, etc.
• Sitting for long hours in front of the computer screens can also cause the students to develop several health implications. It can cause strain in the eyes and affect the carpal tunnel of the individuals.