Saturday, August 25, 2007

T E R M 3 B L O G P O S T

Taken from The Straits Times, Sat, 23rd June 2007. Saturday Section Page S10.

Although this article was a few months back. I felt that since that it is really happening even till today so its quite important.

Recently, there has been an increase in gaming addiction among teenagers. Especially those who are often bored because they're not very involved in other Co -Curriculum Activities. This can be seen by the many counselors who have seen and up rise in youths seeking help for gaming addiction. According to experts, this is a worrying trend because they worry of the potential harm these games may cause to the children.

One of the main worries about these interactive games is, children may meet the wrong kinds of people. Being young at inexperienced, children may pick up many undesirable habits from them. The most common would be the learning of vulgarities and using them in their everyday context. Some parents might be surprised that their kids are using vulgarities at such a young age. These words are used so often, it has been universally accepted among gamers. Not surprisingly, kids will think its acceptable to use profound language in their daily lives, because the influence “gaming” gave them had “brainwashed” them.

Another common worry is that, when kids become addicted to online gaming, their social life takes a major step back. They start to neglect their studies and avoid outdoor activities. Relationships with their loved ones will be greatly affected. This is because, these handful of kids only think about their game and the characters and stuff. Physically they may be present in school. But their mind might be drifting off to their cyber world, thinking of ways to play the computer as soon as possible.

I feel many kids even turn to online gaming not only because its fun to play, but also because gamers will accept them for their ability not their physical appearance. Taunting and teasing in schools are common among kids. Some may be more sensitive to it, therefore feeling like society does not accept them. Hence, they turn to online gaming, where nobody can tease them about their appearance. These kids are not treated as how they might be treated in their daily lives. That might be why online gaming is so addictive and luring to our kids these days.

I do believe that online gaming is most appropriate for kids to play. However certain good gaming habits must be practiced to ensure that its safe for youths to play with. A way is for parents to limit the playing time, and have a timetable set up. Homework, sports and aesthetics should be of utmost priority, which will limit the time spent in front of the computer screen.

Gaming should never exceed more than 1 hour daily. Furthermore excessive gaming might even lead to health problems, such as myopia and even back problem, these health problems can be very severe and thus should not be taken lightly.