You would have probably seen tutoring agencies display ads on preventing video gaming addiction and posters by the government which encourage students to play outdoors rather than hooking up to controllers.
Video games are often notorious for their ill-effects on children including spoiling their eyesight and encouraging violence. Ever since the introduction of video games in children’s world, parents have always been worried about how it would affect their studies and thinking. Parents at times seek help from home tutors to guide their children to make the right choices as well.
The reason for this concern is due to the various series of unfortunate events that has occurred around the world for children due to video game addiction. But one thing that we all have to understand is that not all video games are created equal. Some may have a negative impact on students while others actually have the capacity to increase children’s ability to think sharply and swiftly; believe it or not.
Some math tutors even encourage students to take up a good video game to increase alertness and inculcate the habit of quick thinking. However, it obviously needs to be supervised and needs to be done in the right way.
Some of common cause for concern with regards to video games are:
● Lacking social skills
● Less time being spent on true hobbies
● Affects academics adversely
● Sedentary lifestyle
● Spending less time with loved ones including parents and siblings
● Sleep deprivation
● Aggressive behaviour and thinking
However, the consequence of it all depends on what kind of video games are being played and it it’s based on how addicted children are as well.
Toxicologists often say “the dose makes the poison”; similarly, should children play harmful video games beyond a limit, it will harm them. Whereas if they choose the right game and play within limit, it will yield benefits indeed.
FAILURE AND SUCCESS
Besides the argument that video games could possibly increase IQ level of children and make them more alert (this is still yet to be proven with strong evidence), video games teach a few important principles that children should live by in their life.
Video games have a competitive aspect to it but also has a system of multiple tries and a scoring as well as ranking system that shows one’s progress in the game. This encourages children to keep trying to improve themselves and to not be demotivated by setbacks.
This attitude is essential for success in life in every aspect. Good habits need to be cultivated from young and indeed video games is a fun way to teach students this.
CRITICAL THINKING
Some popular games that educate include Nintendo’s “Brain Age” and xBox 360’s “Civilization.” all of which encourages children to think and go another step further beyond the box and think a little more critically.
The brain is amazing piece of technology created by nature and the beauty of it is that it can be trained and sculpted in any way we want; what it becomes is based on what we feed our brain with. Some games forces children to think in ways they weren’t even aware that they’re capable of.
CONCENTRATION
An immense amount of focus is required for children to perform well in a video game as it’s all about the coordination between the eyes, hands and the mind. Video games could also possibly lengthen an individuals’ attention span as well.
Video games have also increasingly been used as a form of treatment for certain psychiatric disorders such as ADHD, and their effectiveness have been proven by a few empirical studies.
BOTTOM LINE
No one is advocating a complete shift to video games for entertainment because outdoor games and board games are extremely important as well for the mind and body. In moderation, children can reap the benefits of video games and in order for this to happen, parents need to teach their children about choosing the right games and playing within limits.
There is more to explore and understand about video games and perhaps neuroscientists and psychiatrists may unravel some fun facts about this in the near future!