The Digital Marijuana: Video Games affecting Kids
The technological revolution has increased the pace of change. Change, as an inevitable characteristic of the world we live in, was never so conspicuous. Within a decade, playgrounds, replete with children, are seen as potential real estate development sites. Landscapes have changed, habits have changed and thus, life has changed. Habits are an intrinsic component of childhood, and what develops in childhood hangs all along the life. An invention of the 1950s, the video games, have recently made a foray into our households. And its target is the most vulnerable segment of the society: the children. Since an enemy in disguise can cause a great harm, it is important to discuss pernicious effects of Video Games, so that it can be readily thrown out.
First of all, video games hamper health of children. Video games demand continuous sittings for long hours, with less or no physical movement. With muscles and bones still at a developing stage, physical inactivity can hinder the growth of important organs. This leads to a permanent disability with no possible cure. With weak body and muscles, children are likely to pursue a sedentary lifestyle in adulthood. Consequently, they'll invite many more lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity, constipation etc. Moreover, physical exercises help in maintaining proper sleep cycles. On the other hand, lack of it can cause insomnia which turns into stress, anxiety and other neural disorders. Also, the excitement of the games pulls children closer to the screens. Continuous exposure may lead to myopic vision in the long run. Therefore, video games have a serious impact on the health of children.
Some people may argue that video games help in improving problem-solving skills as they're given challenging tasks as they advance through a particular game. They also claim that this helps them to simulate real life situations and be better prepared for the same. For instance, a car racing game may help them to develop driving skills. This assumption is flawed because firstly, most games do not show routine life situations, rather they show a distorted extension which leaves a bad impression on a child's mind. As an example, while one gets extra points in a car racing game for driving recklessly, this might cause serious injuries if tried in actual life. Secondly, while there is no loss of life if one fails in a pursuit, actual practice the same put their lives at stake. They often prompt children to involve into risky adventures which create an unnecessary trouble that society has to tackle.
In addition, video games affect behavioural aspects of personality in children. Video games generate sudden excitement and, sometimes, sudden disappointment. This takes a toll on Emotional Quotient of children. This involves qualities like being patient and maintaining composure in tricky situations. Children express their emotions to respond to the achievements in the game. However, this generates no response and children are not able to decide whether such a response is hurtful or demeaning. This lack of understanding, when extended to social circles, leads to alienation and children start disliking interacting with people. As they grow up, they start feeling lonely and depressed because they do not know to build and continue people to people contacts. This has a direct bearing on the relationships they forge later in their lives. Thus, video games have long lasting consequences on an individual's personality.
To sum up, it can be inferred that even though video games initially were in high demand, the reach of masses to them has led to some disastrous consequences. A child's only assets are health, their IQ and behavioural traits which help them to learn and develop. It can be seen that video games affect all of these and hence, can be rightly called a sweet poison for children that will kill slowly but surely. Hence, urgent steps need to be taken regulate the sale and access of 'the Digital Marijuana'.
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