Negative effect of video games on children - Essay Example

This proposal argues that while video gaming offers an enjoyable level of entertainment, the negative effects ultimately outweigh the positive benefits and should be altered through increased regulations and parental limitations. One of the primary problems with video gaming systems is their ability to completely consume the individual. While the intentions of the systems are such that they are purposely addictive, this becomes a large problem when one considers this addiction oftentimes begins to function as a sort of drug like control mechanism.

Multiple studies have shown that individuals engrossed in video gaming have not only become linked to the in-game experience, but have also allowed it to dictate other aspects of their lives (Anderson 2005). Consider a scenario when an individual purchases a video game and becomes engrossed in the narrative. Not only does the individual become entrenched in these aspects of the game during their playing time, but it has been shown that the game has such a powerful hold that they will rush through work or daily activities as a means of returning to the gaming world.

In effect, the game has overtaken the individual’s life and has crippled their ability to function in a normal and productive way. Another negative aspect of video gaming is the potential for video games to cause increased levels of violence among children. From this perspective one need only consider the nature of video games to view the potential for such violence. In many regards the appeal video gaming holds is the ability to experience forbidden realities; for these reasons many video games involve committing crimes, murder, and death (Silva).

With the addictive nature of the gaming system it is no large jump to assume that these elements can influence the gamers cognitive structure. In response to these negative effects this essay proposes two major changes. The first change is a call for increased parental regulation on children’s video gaming habits. As children are the primary consumers of video games it’s necessary for parents to step-in and ensure that their children’s gaming habits are not destructive to their overall production and scholastic progress.

The second element proposed is that tighter restrictions be placed on the nature of video games. As Munger indicates in Fig. 1 video gaming has demonstrated increased violence levels in adolescents. While the movie industry has faced increasing regulations in terms of ratings, with adolescents only being admitted to certain movies based on age, in-large part the video gaming industry has gone unchecked. What is restricted for children under 17 to view in movies is readily available for them to interact with in video games.

With tighter regulations on these aspects, children will have less access to these negative elements and this will in-turn reduce the potential for violence or crime resulting through increased video game play. In order to achieve this, small steps need to be taken, beginning with individual parents petitioning government representatives to take action. While these proposals are believed to be strong in that they will reduce the negative effects of video games, there are objections that exist in response to their core contentions.

In terms of increased parental