Advantages and Disadvantages of Video Games on the Social Communication of Children - Essay Example

Advantages and Disadvantages of Video games on the Social Communication of Children al Affiliation) Executive Summary Play Station and video games are technologies used for entertainment across all age groups all around the world. The young children aged from 5 to 10 years old occupy the largest percentage of users. Today there is wide variety of games attributed to the advancement in technology. The report is a detailed documentation of the impact of gaming on children with references to recent scholarly articles. It also touches on other involved parties in the management of the media entertainment. Contents Introduction 2 Games and Children 3 Advantages of play station and video games 5 Disadvantages of play station and video games 5 Rating systems of games 8 Conclusion and Recommendations 8 Introduction The platform of electronic gaming dates back to 1971 that was in the form of arcade video games (Wolf, 2012). In the 1980s, video arcades and console games were integrations in the learning process (Wolf, 2012). The target audience of the learning games was children aged between 5 and 10 years. The Learning Company is a pioneer in the history of games and learning with family-oriented software games emerging in the 1990s (Wolf, 2012). A recent development in digital learning focuses on providing children with tools for repairing, constructing and authoring contrary to the traditional games. SimCity is an example of the rear mentioned game. A large population of parents deal with video games in a manner one would deal with low nutritious foods, believing that exposing their children to the games in decreased periods is acceptable. An opposition to the school of thought is Andy Baio who has let his son Eliot play through a history of video games in a chronological manner since the age of four (Wolf, 2012). From the continued growth of electronic gaming since the early 1970s, it is evident that more games are yet to be developed in the future. Games and Children American Academy of Pediatrics dedicates its efforts in the well being of children (The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology, 2015). In light of technology and children, information on their page can act as a guide to parents in comprehending the influence of video games on children, as it provides advice on management of electronic gaming. In addition, the non-profit organisation recommends parents and pediatricians (The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology, 2015). According to statistics from the academy, the current average number of hours spent by children per day on technology is seven (The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology, 2015). Parent intervention in monitoring exposure to entertainment aids children in making informed choices regarding media. In order to avoid inappropriate content exposure to children, the organisation encourages parental figures to adhere to the established ratings on media tools. Inattentiveness, irregular sleeping patterns and obesity are some of the negative consequences of excessive subjection to video games in compliance with studies. As a recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents ought to establish zones at home that electronic gaming is prohibited such as children’s bedroom while urging the population in discussion to engage with the entertainment media two hours a day on the high side (The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology, 2015). For children under the age of two, video games should be avoided because they are detrimental to their social life (Hutchby, 2013). It is evident that video games affect a child in a number of ways as mentioned earlier. It is not logical though to state that electronic gaming impacts the young children in an all or nothing manner, that is either positive or negative and no in between. According to Dr. Andrew K. Przybylski the author of the article Electronic Gaming and Psychosocial Adjustmentbased on a study conducted on 2436and 2463 males and females respectively aged between 10 and 15 years, gaming proved to be beneficial in some cases (Shapiro, 2014). The objective of the study was to examine how the duration of exposure to gaming accounts for notable difference in negative and positive adjustment in psychosocial. In his study internalizing and externalizing problems, life satisfaction and prosocial measured by the preferred strength and difficulty questionnaire (SDQ) (Shapiro, 2014). The findings of the study were that low and high levels of gaming, less than an hour daily and less than three hours per day suitably, were associated with important indicators of adjustment in physcosocial. Children who engaged in video gaming an hour per day exhibited improved levels of satisfaction with life and prosocial behaviour and decreased levels of peer problems, conduct problems, emotional imbalance and hyperactivity. The opposite was true for children exposed to video games in high levels while for those who engaged moderately in comparison to non-players showed no effects. Advantages of play station and video games A favourable influence of game based learning to elementary aged children is that it nurtures the awareness and ability to understand their thinking process referred to as meta-cognitive skills (Hutchby, 2013). The skills are core in organizing of performance of tasks. Meta-cognitive skills enable children to plan, set objectives, and begin a task just to name a few. Though the video games show impact on the development of the child’s brain positively when subjected on low levels, electronic gaming is not a universal answer to meta-cognitive skills in young children. In addition, electronic gaming is beneficial to young children for they are able to develop their identity as well as prepare them in facing cognitive and social difficulties (Hutchby, 2013). For this reason, video games are comparable to traditional forms of play that influence the desired mental growth of a child. The study by Dr.Przybylski echoes that there is little difference between the use of technology for play and activities favoured by the society in regards to children play (Shapiro, 2014). Disadvantages of play station and video games Engagement to electronic gaming requires little or no work done. Children are immobile to a screen for that reason. The pitfalls of video games lie on the minimal movement the population in discussion when subjected to the idea (Hutchby, 2013). Increased numbers of children nowadays suffer from poor eye sight. Many cases of vision problems attribute to the media in discussion. Children who wear prescribed spectacles to correct their vision suffer from frequent bouts of headaches that are detrimental to the mental well being of the young population therefore affecting their education (Hutchby, 2013). Another physical damage reported because of electronic gaming on children is poor physical posture. Engaging in video games requires children to sit for long periods of time that translates to poor bone development. Today there are high incidences of children with rickets and kyphosis (Hutchby, 2013). The latter, commonly known as hunchback affects the back while the former affects the legs of a child. Entertainment media eliminates outdoor play in the life of children. Video games entertain unhealthy weight gain in children that has led to childhood obesity being the number one concern in the health of the young population from the developed countries (ODonovan, 2013). The figure below is a statistical representation of obese or overweight children in New Zealand who are around 36%. The statistical data is according to New Zealand Nutrition Foundation. The life expectancy of a child who is obese is short because many other lifestyle diseases manifest such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure (ODonovan, 2013). Obesity is known to cause psychological effects as well namely negative body image, depression and low self-esteem (Hutchby, 2013). The rear mentioned health problems because of physical inactivity are some of the unfavourable impacts of the technology on young children. Rating systems of games Games for the technology in discussion have rating systems just like any other media. Grand Theft Auto video game series are suitable for adults (rated 18+) because of its explicit content such as vulgar language. Examples of play station games deemed appropriate for young children are sonic generations and LittleBigPlanet. Parents view family games as safe to the young children because a numerous number of studies illustrate their benefits but PhD holder Andrew Przybylski findings from research disagree with the notion that game ratings impact on a child’s prosocial behaviours. There was a negligible effect of the results by age inappropriate technology game content with an indication that the bad impacts of the games restricted to young children were minimal as compared to other forms of technology used for entertainment (Shapiro, 2014). Conclusion and Recommendations To conclude, both passive and active technological tools are readily available to children at all times. In elementary school, the young population access computers for learning purposes. At home children are constantly exposed to technology such as television, play stations and video games as sources of entertainment. Adults play a vital role in managing how children engage with the technology in discussion. Organisations have been established to aid children and their parents on how to go about the media entertainment. From scholarly articles, the report expounds on the impacts of electronic gaming to the growth and development of a child. It is evident that technology does not influence the life of a child on both extreme ends only but also no effect is indicated where it is in use moderately. Recent scientific studies have demystified myths that the society held on for very long times promoting a change in policies, while acting as avenues for more research on the subject matter. As a recommendation, it is wise to observe in detail both the negative and positive consequences of electronic gaming as a form of technology in order to appreciate gaming without double standards. Being in an on and off relationship is not a solution to the overlapping impacts of the technology. Instead, working in reverse with the technology, parents will help the current and future population benefit increasingly from gaming. Integrating technology and traditional activities is a recommendation in diminishing and preventing detrimental effects of use of play station and video games. More developments in active media entertainment and installing anti glare equipment on screens are recommendations that safe guard the well being of the young population. Full government involvement in implementation of recommendations for the manufacturer is a sure way of spearheading the positive influence of electronic gaming. A technological adjustment that game manufactures ought to follow through is to discontinue the development of passive entertainment and develop active play station games. References Hutchby, I., & Moran-Ellis, J. (2013). Children, Technology and Culture: The Impacts of Technologies in Childrens Everyday Lives (p. 208). Routledge. ODonovan, C., Roche, E., & Hussey, J. (2013).The energy cost of playing active video games in children with obesity and children of a healthy weight.Pediatric Obesity, 9(4), 310-317.doi:10.1111/j.2047-6310.2013.00172.x Shapiro, J. (2014, September 27). A Surprising New Study On How Video Games Impact Children. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2014/08/27/a-surprising-new-study-on-how-video-games-impact-children/ The One Key Thing Parents Should Know About Children and Technology. (2015, May 11). The Wall Street Journal, p. 1. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2015/05/11/the-one-key-thing-parents-should-know-about-children-and-technology/ Wolf, M. (2012). Before the Crash: Early Video Game History (Illustrated ed., p. 272). Wayne State University Press. Read More