Over the past couple of years, the trend of video games can clearly be seen growing among the teenagers.
According to a 2015 PewReseach survey 72% of all teens play video games on a computer, game console or portable device like a cellphone ,
Most teenagers find video games are one of the best recreational activity, and enjoy long hours of video gaming. With new controllers and joysticks, playing video games has been made easier and hence more preferable than any outdoor games by most teenagers today.
However, these video games can have adverse effects on children’s health and eyes if extensive addiction is developed.
It is debatable whether playing video games do any good or not for an individual. In order to have clear understanding about this topic, we are going to mention and explain every one of those positive and negative effects of video games in detail.
So, let’s get started!
Page Contents
5 Positive effects of video games
When most people think about video games, the first things that come to their mind are its tons of disadvantages.
Now, although nobody can deny that video games have many disadvantages but the fact that they also have a considerable amount of advantages is something that a huge majority of people tend to usually neglect.
So, here, in the next part of our article, we are going to mention and explore each and every one of those advantages:
1. Video games Test and improve your thinking ability
This advantage of video games is something that gets pushed under the rug very often. But when you think of video games, it is almost impossible to think of one that can be won without some level of problem-solving and logical thinking.
For, eg. When you watch a pro player play pubg, you will see that they always stick with their teammates, and they don’t start shooting right when they see an enemy or an opponent at a certain distance. If you look closely, you will realize that they try to make sure that they get into a perfect position behind a tree or a rock so that they don’t get hit, and they will try to choose to act in a way that involves minimal risk.
Similarly, there are many other games of different categories like among us, pacify, tower of Hanoi, etc. Not only do these video games force you to think from others’ perspectives, but they also help you in polishing your ability to think out of the box.
2. Video games fasten your finger reflexes and improve your typing speed.
This is one of the great advantages that many people who regularly play video games experience. A huge majority of the famous video games like pubg, fortneight, and piano reward those players/users who take less time to react. If I have to put it simply, in these games, the faster you are, the more games you win.
As these games rely on hand-eye coordination to decide a winner, the people who aspire to win more games and play them for long hours on their computers and laptops, have experienced a huge improvement in their typing speed.
And let me tell you that the ability to type quickly is not something everyone can do, and it could be of great help to you in your career, especially if you aspire to be a programmer.
3. Video game are helpful for children who lack the socializing ability
Video games are also helpful for teenagers who lack the socializing ability and skill. Some teenagers fall under the introvert category and find it difficult to talk to people. But with video games and the sense of anonymity and security it offers, teenagers can overcome their fear of interaction and learn the art of opening up to people.
4. They are a great distraction.
Some people might consider this a disadvantage but let me tell you that every person in every part of the world has problems. And most people spend a large of time working hard at college or work and thinking of ways through which they can solve their problem.
And it is very important for your mental health to take regular breaks and stop thinking about everything that is going on around you.
And that is exactly what almost all video games provide: an escape from reality.
5. Sometime Reduce anxiety and Depression
Many on us turn to video games in time when we need to unwind from a stressfull situation,
Gaming is one of my favorite ways to relax. sometime video games can even help me in moments where I am feeling anxious.
Playing some video games usually takes my mind off whatever is causing my anxiety.
Some games are simply enough to act as a distraction from the million thoughts running through an anxious person’s mind, while others are specifically designed to reduce anxiety and promote mindfulness.
Disclaimer: (A video game is not a medicine or Psychological therapy which will help in depression or anxiety)
6. The greatest time pass ever
If you accomplished everything that you had to and you now have nothing better to do than wait for the time to pass a lot, then for you, video games are going to be more helpful to you than ever.
Now, some people might argue that movies and other forms of video entertainment could also be a great alternative to video games.
But when you are watching movies/ tv shows, you don’t actually have to actively engage or stay deeply concentrated for long, and therefore you can get easily bored after some time, irrespective of how intriguing the content is. This is not the case with video games because all video games require at least some level of activeness when you are playing them. And as the saying goes, The active you stay, the less bored you get.
10 Negative effects of video games
Here comes the unending list of disadvantages of video games.
But Before we move on to the list of disadvantages, let me tell you that most of these disadvantages apply when you play video games beyond a certain limit and get addicted to them.
1. Video games are very addictive.
This is the biggest disadvantage of most video games. They are so good and engaging that people don’t really want to stop playing them.
Even the people who develop these games spend millions in research and do everything in their power to make sure that the game is designed in such a way the users never stop playing them and keep coming back.
And after some time, the video games you are addicted to are no more fun activities than you do. When you have free time, they become a kind of a curse/jail that you cannot get yourself out of, even if you want to.
And eventually, you start neglecting and postponing stuff that is far more important to you, like your family and your career.
2. Video games can affect your vision.
This is a very known disadvantage of most video games. There are a lot of researches, including the one done by eastwestwesteye.com, that proves that excessive use of video games can cause eye discomfort, focusing problems, blurry vision, and headaches.
As you might already know, when you are playing video games, it is very easy to get completely immersed in a game, and you forget to take breaks because many games require complete focus.
3. Video games can make people more violent.
This is one of the biggest disadvantages of video games. There are many video games like getting over it, FIFA, Little night, etc. are purposefully designed in such a way that the users find it very hard to make progress, and they get so obsessed with finishing these games that in case of any failure, they immediately start breaking down and raging. Eventually, even those who don’t usually get angry end up acting violently.
4. Video games can lead to anti-social behavior.
Although online games have been of great help to people during the lockdowns that have taken place during the past couple of years during covid, they tend to amplify anti-social behavior.
This has been observed especially among kids. Unlike the kids who grew up in the 90s and the early 2000s, kids today don’t seem to go out and participate in any of the physical actives like playing sports, for example.
All of those outdoor activities that children of earlier generations used to participate in have now been completely replaced by video games where they have thousands of games to play with their friends, hang out with them on discord, and gain almost the same fun and experience while staying at home.
This has had a huge impact on their growth, not just physically but also mentally.
5. Video games can cause overuse injuries
Overuse injuries, also known as repetitive stress injuries, occur when muscles and tendons are used repeatedly to the point that discomfort and inflammation develop. If these injuries are allowed to grow, they can cause numbness and weakening, as well as irreversible harm.
Gamers are prone to overuse injuries to their hands and arms. If a teenager becomes accustomed to gaming, it might have negative consequences.
6. Poor Sleep Functioning
When you don’t get enough sleep on a daily basis, this will ultimately show up in other areas of your lifestyle. They won’t be completely focused on other aspects of your activities, such as education, job, or simply everyday living, affecting your performance against targets.
So you just get a few hours of sleep or none at all, it might be difficult to operate regularly. Playing games for long periods of time can lead to sleep deprivation, especially if you play late at night or with gamer friends from various time zones.
Lack of sleep also affects your memory and causes relationship tension, lowering your general quality of life. Screen time might result in a negative quality of sleep and other physiological long term consequences.
7. Obesity and Heart Problems
Sitting in the same posture for long periods of time can have serious effects on your health, such as persistent migraines and arm and shoulder problems. Your body will continue to suffer the less you move and exercise.
Weight gain, muscle loss, painful joints, and bad posture are all common examples. It’s also worth noting that roughly 1% of all gamers will develop overweight as a result of playing video games. Obesity can also cause heart disease and other heart-related issues.
8. Video games are Expensive.
Almost all great games are expensive, and even you can afford to get your hands onto one, you will need a pc or a console that could run these soft wares without any lag or getting crashing after a few minutes of playing them. And these consoles and computers cost tens of thousands of rupees, and these prices are far from anything a regular middle-class Indian can afford.
Over the past few years, the rise of the mobile gaming industry and the availability of some of the great games on the play store for free has made gaming a lot more affordable reduced it a bit.
But still, a large majority of people in the world don’t get the chance to experience some of the top-end games the pc and console gaming industry has to offer.
As I’ve already mentioned before, it is very easy to lose control and get addicted to
Conclusion:
Video games are great. Making them takes a lot of time, manpower, and effort. And they employ a lot of people.
If you just had a long and tiring and tiring week, and you just want to relax and have some fun time on the weekend when you don’t have anything else to do, then there isn’t a better tool for you than video games.
But now, if the first thing that comes to your mind when you have some free time is video games and you just can’t help but spend hours and hours together playing them when you have a lot of other important stuff to do, then video games become a curse and could end up having a huge negative impact not only on your career but also on your personal relationships with your friends and family.
“Every Single Read Inspire Us”
DON’T MISS THESE [Related Articles]
Leave a Reply