Online Games Addiction in Children

Question: Describe about the Online Games for the Addiction in Children. Answer: Effect on mental and physical health: Effect on psychological development: Online video games also affect the coping capability of adolescents to various stresses. The individuals often play games online to cope up with the stresses and tensions in their adolescent life like in academic fields, to survive failures, and to reduce tension. Therefore, this becomes a platform for them as a strategy to fight out stresses and different tensions. When gamers use this strategy more frequently, it proves that they are using this medium to regulate them emotionally and reduce negative feelings. Their psychological development is impaired due to their failure to cope up with the stressors naturally. However, this short-term management of stresses by consistent blocking as well as passive coping with the stressors prevents the individuals to develop fundamental experiences and potential to fight with the stressors due to this dysfunctional coping style. This causes harm to hid mental development in the end (Kuss Griffths, 2012). Effect on physical health: Authors have often suggested it that spending too much time on the computer playing online games affects the health condition of many individuals. Addiction to online games results in many problematic gamers to skip their meals to pursue a particular goal in the game. Too much gaming has also reported to result in fatigued condition of the body and physical pain. It also results in reduction of sleep time and pressure on eyes causing eye problems (Peng Liu, 2010) Effect on life: Effect on social life: Addictions to online gaming have also been seen to affect the social life of individuals who are excessively hooked to online gaming. Many of such individuals when interviewed, have stated the often social relationships have been hampered due to addiction to online gaming. They have lost contact with friends in real life because they could not get time from their schedule to meet and hang out with friends. Gradually, they start feeling apathetic towards the social life due to the overexcitement provided by the online games. As a result, of that they lose contacts with the real social life (Hussain Griffith, 2009). Effect on personal life: Addiction to online games often causes an individual to forget his personal life and lead an unhygienic life (Hussain Griffith, 2009). They tend to forget sleep, food and contact with real world and seem to live in a virtual world. The persistent worlds of the online games hook the player in such a way that the gamers imagine themselves as the character of the game. Like in the real world, they seem to grow infinitely becoming stronger and more powerful over the time as the player crosses various challenges (Young, 2009). Therefore, in a way they seem to cut off from the real life and enter in a virtual life when they log in the game. Conclusion: From the above report it can be well understood that online gaming not only possesses harmful effects on the mental and physical health of a particular gamer but also possesses adverse effects on the the social and personal life of those individuals. As a result, one leads a life that lacks quality and exposure. Hence, this serious issue cannot be neglected and awareness should be spread to protect such individuals from these destructive effects. References: Hussain, Z., Griffiths, M. D. (2009). The attitudes, feelings, and experiences of online gamers: a qualitative analysis.CyberPsychology Behavior,12(6), 747-753. Kuss, D.J. and Griffiths, M.D., 2012. Online gaming addiction in children and adolescents: A review of empirical research.Journal of Behavioral Addictions,1(1), pp.3-22. Peng, W., Liu, M. (2010). Online gaming dependency: a preliminary study in China.Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking,13(3), 329-333. Young, K. (2009). Understanding online gaming addiction and treatment issues for adolescents.The American Journal of Family Therapy,37(5), 355-372.