The Impact of Video Games on Children - Research Paper Example

?In what ways do video games affect children and teenagers? Video games have a very severe affect on the children and teenagers who are hooked on to them for hours at stretch. This is because it is the addictive nature of these video games which makes it a problem to begin with. Parents and elders are always complaining about these video games because they are of the view that due to these video games their young ones are not able to dedicate themselves towards their study domains and playing hours outside. In fact, the addictiveness of video games is such that it has hurt the growing and developing cause of the society more than anything else. Video games affect the mind more than any other organ. This is the reason why video games are seen as mentally destructive as they leave a scar like none other. Also the children and teenagers who play them on a regular basis start thinking about life in general in the fast lane. They believe that if they do not like someone, they can go ahead and kill or shoot that individual. Their ferocious thinking is something to fear about because they start believing that everything around them is very explicit and that they must do measures all on their own. This is the reason why video games are being seen as way too violent in the time and age of today. The parents fear them, the children love them and the people associated with these young ones opine that nothing good or sane could be expected out of such realms (Szymanski 1999). There is reason enough to believe such a premise largely because the video games are downright torturous to the mind. The physical body would not feel it that way yet the mind starts alienating in a world of its own. The addictive nature of these video games adds salt to the wound. If the child starts believing that he is doing something wrong by indulging in video games, the addictiveness attached to these video games brings him close once again to the force that he wants to abandon. There is a great amount of breakdown that is taking place within his fore, and the blame goes on to the shoulders of the parents and their elders. Much more needs to be done than is being devoted at the present. The reasons need to be chalked out. The strategies to get rid of the addictiveness must be found and the solutions be implemented to bring about a collective good for the basis of the entire society. This is the reason why parents and elders fear that once their children and teenagers get involved within video games, they are of no good use to their own selves, their parents, their study domains and indeed the society that they are a part of (Jayakanthan 2002). The parents must be given emphasis within such scenarios because their viewpoints are very valid with direct focus on getting things right as far as their children and teenagers are related. This would be the basis of achieving a common good as far as the role of video games within the children’s lives is linked. Detailing the negative aspects of video games, it would be wrong not to mention the positive points as well. These are significantly drawn because these outline the basis of a proper understanding that video games shall receive from the readers and critics. There are some serious positive ramifications when one concerns the pragmatic aspects related with these video games. For one, they create a strategic tilt within the minds of the children and the teenagers. Now this is imperative to comprehend because in this day and age, it is necessary for the young ones to know how they can make their way through difficult situations and circumstances as and when these come about. Video games teach them just that. These allow the young minds to analyze how they can turn bad situations into good ones, and thus find out a way through any difficulty that they are faced with. Also they develop a knack of playing with numbers which essentially means that they become good at mathematics. Their figures and statistics domains are beefed up, which is a blessing in disguise both for the parents and the teachers. The optimism from the ranks of video games is something to derive for the betterment of the sake of children and teenagers. They must always be given the benefit of the doubt because their minds are not developed yet and they still have to tread on the hard path for their lives to become better. Indeed the positive aspects of video games are such that the parents will be able to understand the real definition of moving ahead with time as this is much needed. One can analyze the real benefits of video games only when the parents are able to judge the good from bad. Same is the case with elders who will instantly know what their kids are getting into and how the positive route can be ascertained without much difficulty (Smith 2001). The essential requirement meanwhile is to pick and choose video games which will take care of the learning and development side of the children more than anything else. It will overcome the problems that they face on a personal as well as at an emotional level. Turning the negative aspects of video games into positive ones is indeed a Herculean task and one that merits quite a fair amount of attention. There are several fitness games that come hand in hand with these video games which need to be taken into perspective too. Since the video games are inherently seen as a negative influence upon the minds and bodies of the children and the teenagers, thus removing this perception into something positive would actually mean that the parents and teachers sit down together with the children and study their video gaming habits. Again this seems like an improbable task because the parents and teachers would never be willing to pay any amount of time to understand the nuances surrounding the debate of video games. However, this issue must come to a fair call if and only if the parents and teachers are willing to take the bitter pill and comprehend where the wrongs are being committed. The manuals that come along with these video games should also be analyzed to have a proper analysis as to whether or not these video games are allowed for children of a particular age. Incessantly blaming the video game manufacturers would thus come to an end and there would seem to be more empathy for one and all as far as the adequate usage of video games is concerned (Nelson 2012). It would put things into proper perspective if these manuals are read and viewer discretionary advises are paid heed. One cannot question the purpose of a company that is manufacturing these video games if the children and teenagers themselves are not following the age brackets mentioned on the cartons and boxes of these games. Here the role of the elders is of utmost significance because they define the basis of allowance given for the video games or if these are simply refused within their domains. These are some of the most pivotal points which can eventually shape up beliefs of the parents and other elders whenever they see their young ones indulging in gaming regimes. It would also tell them how focused they are within a particular video game and what steps they need to take in order to curtail such seriousness towards these games in the first place. Thus many a problem would be solved instantly. Sitting down with the children and teenagers whenever they are playing video games once in a while is not a bad option, especially for the elders because they will then know what exactly is going through the domains of their young ones. The help and guidance aspect would be duly covered by the parents whenever they are sitting with them and understanding how engrossed their children are within a specific game. It would also tell the children and teenagers that their parents and elders care about them, and want to know if they are falling off the rack sometimes. There would be more empathy for one another and understanding will also develop which is much needed under such settings (Webber 2011). The persuasion element would also come about quite easily which would mean that the children will know exactly what their parents would ideally want of them and how they must limit their video gaming experience within the television screens and not bring the violent streak into their real lives. This provides them a comprehension that whatever happens in the video games is essentially present there alone and would never be a part of their physical selves at all. However giving the children some space is equally significant but not at the expense of letting them off the hook. They should be constantly checked upon as far as their gaming habits are concerned but the children must never feel that they are living in a cage and are being scrutinized for each and every action of theirs. There must be a balancing act which would be the right tonic if parents want their children to understand how excessive video gaming is bad for not only them but also the entire household. To sum up the discussion, it would be fair to comment here that video games are both good and bad for the children and the teenagers. It is the rightful use of these video games that the end result comes out as a positive one. On the flip side, their negative usage means that there are issues which must be resolved in order to bring a sense of purpose and eventually sanity within the related realms (Chin 2003). All said and done, video games must be understood from the aspect of providing fun and entertainment to the children and teenagers because they really are deprived of any such means in their day to day lives. A balancing act actually works in the favor of all and sundry, and such aspects need to be considered before one can deduce whether or not the video games are a good thing or simply bad from the outset. Then again, the role of the people who are most important within the lives of these children and the teenagers as far as playing video games is concerned remains something that cannot be denied its fair right. A positive linkage is all the more necessary to reach a common consensus. Works Cited Chin, Tiffani. Just Play? A Framework for Analyzing Children’s Time Use. Sociological Studies of Children and Youth 9, 2003 Jayakanthan, R. Application of computer games in the field of education. The Electronic Library 20(2), 2002 Nelson, David A. Two sides to the same coin: relational and physical aggression in the media. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research 4(4), 2012 Smith, Christina. Talking to Kids. Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers 3(1), 2001 Szymanski, Marianne. The Use of Focus Groups in Toy Testing. Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers 1(2), 1999 Webber, Sheila. Playing video games: learning and information literacy. Aslib Proceedings 63(2/3), 2011 Read More