Computer games have reached astonishing levels in the last two decades. They are a source of great fun for both children and adults alike. However, we must consider the implications and what sort of impact video games have on children and young adults.
Losing touch with the reality
The video games today are so elaborately designed that it almost feels like a different dimension of the world. We even have video games that are powered by virtual reality and that combine motion in real life with the movement within the game. The most popular type of games played in that way is the RPG game.
The RPG games are role-playing games that allow you to assume a role of a character or a hero and direct his life through decisions you make in the game. The interaction with other players is made available via the internet so that you can communicate with people from all over the world in real time.
All of this sounds pretty amazing, but the inevitable consequences could be severe. There were cases reported that claimed young people had suffered from complete alienation and could no longer resume real life interaction due to the extensive exposure to video games. All they could think about was playing games and that led to a negative impact on the overall physical and mental health.
Graphic violence
The exceedingly growing number of games host some sort of violence. Whether or not the game is based on the theme of war, violence has become ubiquitous in gaming. When you add the realistic graphics to it, what you can get is a ticking bomb. Children are immersed in those kinds of games so badly, that, at some point, they could have a hard time distinguishing what is real and what is not. That sort of exposure to violence can easily spill into the real world, and the children could think that it is the right kind of behaviour, according to it being sanctioned in the game.
The inability to communicate in real life
A lot of everyday communication is done online today. This way of communicating is also present in games as well. Chat rooms are places where players agree on what should be done in the game or can serve the purpose of general communication.
With spending too much time chatting online, one can disregard real-life interaction, and with more time spent in the virtual world, the less likely is one to establish proper relationships and connections in the outside world. This has far-reaching consequences on the lives of people, and its detrimental impact is not something to be taken lightly.
Not all is black and white
On the other hand, not all that comes from video games is bad. There are a lot of educational games your child can play that can help him or her to develop their language and even learn a foreign language. There are also games that require a specific cognitive effort to complete the tasks, and that can boost your child’s cognitive ability. You can also solve puzzles together and spend quality time with your child while playing games.
All in all, it’s all up to you what you are going to “feed” your kid with. You are either going to allow him play PC games all day long and waste his precious time, or you are going to help him develop skills by indulging in educational content on the web.
