Why do children get addicted to video games?
Video games are quickly becoming an epidemic in this generation. Young children are introduced to it from the time they learn to push buttons. Children and teenagers are constantly targeted by advertisements for games wherever they go. Worse yet, adults are sacrificing their lives for a manufactured reality, to escape the real world where making decisions can be overwhelming and demanding. Millions are choosing this life and are suffering the terrible consequences.
First, I want to answer the question: why do people get addicted to video games?
1. Boredom
This is a huge factor. If you don’t have a plan to keep your kids active during their free time, video games can easily consume countless hours of your attention. It is almost human nature to dispense with the less challenging functions of life. For example, reading a book requires concentration and patience; it forces you out of your perspective and way of thinking and introduces new possibilities. Playing video games does little or none of this. It is quite feasible to spend entire days and nights playing without experiencing a single thought process.
2. Escape
Living in a synthetic cyber world allows you to ignore the worries and responsibilities of real life. It encourages you to be content with whatever state your current affairs are in. While I agree that stress-relieving activities can be helpful, especially after a long day at school or work, there is an extreme danger in spending too much time on them. For me, this meant feeling good about my lack of direction, my loss of desire for a career, my single status, etc. Getting to this point in life is a very treacherous position, and it becomes increasingly difficult to reverse the process the longer it is allowed to continue.
3.Entertainment
This is especially common in today’s youth. Children are raised to believe that they deserve constant entertainment. Young children sit in front of movies and are given noise-making toys from an early age. Even schools are becoming more entertainment-based, with lessons delivered via video and computers. Students are encouraged to watch movies for “research” purposes, rather than the “old-fashioned” methods (read!). Those same students come home, and what do they do? Turn on the TV until dinnertime, just to eat in the same place because a lot of families have accepted eating in front of the TV as normal. No wonder so many people turn to video games.
4. Self-esteem
This can be especially tempting for the online gamer. When I played my game online, I had my character developed to the point where other players held me in very high regard. I was constantly being congratulated on my achievements, and not a day went by that I wasn’t asked, even begged, to play another player on their team (the competitive side of the game). I became known as an extremely good player, which really fed my ego and made me feel like “somebody”. The problem is that it was never enough; I would sit for hours waiting for less successful players to notice me. When I thought about attempting a specific achievement, my motivation was almost always, “People would really think I’m an amazing player if I’m successful at this.” Usually she was right, they thought that, but she still couldn’t escape the sinking feeling that none of this is real. Instead of feeling confident in myself due to my uniqueness and different strengths and abilities as a human being, I was deriving a poor imitation of people I would never meet or even know their real name.
5. “Social” interaction
In my 3 years of online gaming, I have met many people who have admitted to me their fear of real social interaction. What was surprising was that they seemed to be very outgoing and approachable to other players. This seems to be a common scenario for those who feel unattractive and awkward in person, but believe that they can gain the attention and approval of others by presenting a false image of themselves through their online world. After all, having “friends” online is better than none at all, right? Don’t get the wrong impression, there is nothing inherently harmful about interacting with people over the Internet. The real danger arises when an individual begins to accept it and even prefer it to in-person relationships, even to the point of excluding them altogether.
6. Romance
Believe it or not, a lot of online gamers are looking for love, in all the wrong places. Now, I am not against meeting someone online if the ultimate goal is to be with that person in real life, but this is not the case with most gamers. Many are content to simply interact with their “special someone” over the Internet, all while keeping them at a safe distance and maintaining their anonymity. What’s worse is the fact that people who are already in relationships (even married couples with families) fall prey to this form of e-romance, and the results are almost always devastating.
The 6 reasons I just mentioned pertain mainly to online computer games, but what about console games like Xbox(TM) and Playstation(TM)?
I think a lot can be learned by looking at the kinds of games a person chooses to play. Most games have a goal, a way to get through challenging scenarios and “win.” Determining what these goals are can provide great insight into why a person prefers some games over others.
1. Is it an aggressive game? Increasingly popular today are games of violence. Players are encouraged to use any weapon and any means possible to inflict pain and death on their victims. It’s entirely possible to use games like this to release pent-up feelings of anger and resentment. Of course, it is far from healthy and should be avoided from a young age. Your child may not go to the extremes of violence in real life, but the long-term effects on their relationship skills can still be detrimental.
2. Is the game teamwork oriented? Many games involve players working together to achieve a common goal. Sounds good, right? It can be, but again, the common concept throughout this book is balance. Do your children also participate in real-life activities that encourage teamwork? Sports games and “capture the flag” scenario games are common in this genre. Both can be very nice, but they should never be a full-time replacement for the real thing.
3. Is the game highly competitive? Like me, many people tend to be extremely competitive and a lot of games point to those tendencies. Linked to this is often the desire for distinction, to be noticed and recognized by other players. Again, while competition can be a very healthy and rewarding experience, seeking it out through video games should never become exclusive.
