How Does Video Game Addictions Affect the Social Lives of Teenagers?
Introduction
In this era of technology, the issue of video gaming addiction in the teenagers has been quite rampant. Studies have shown that the more youths are being drawn into the games. A survey conducted revealed that about 90 percent of teenagers play some form of video game with the most common type being the online games (Wallenius & Punamäki, 286). As technology improves so does video games and this makes every youth to try and get the next new video in the market. This is made possible through good computers and fast internet connection. Additionally, teenagers are involved in the video games since they appear as characters in the fantasy world with varied abilities. This separates from the social life and reality. Varied implications arise as a result. This paper aims to focus on the effects of video games on the social life of teenagers.
Background of the Issue and its Impact
Video games in today’s world is quite vast in the young population. Research show that the gaming industry has surpassed the movie and music industries. The industry has evolved to a great extent with time and this is attributed to the great graphics, content and game play among other things that they can get from the games. The graphics have developed greatly with time and the new GPU’s and CPU[[#_ftn2|[2]]] are introduced almost daily. The early games were based on two dimensional graphics which in most cases were linear. Later there were three dimensional games which are what the computer games are today and how they could be created and operated. Currently, the graphics used in the computer games appear realistic for instance the screenshot in the game Crysis. Another technology that has played part to the evolution of games is the computer and internet (Kronenberger et al, 736). With the inception of computers, a limited number of people were able to access computers let alone use them. In the prior times, computers were meant for official work but currently, computers are used to a great extent for games. Additionally, computers are much cheaper and work better with new technical enhancements. The internet has on the other hand been useful in spreading the popularity of games and more so online games (Perron and Mark, 382). The internet makes it possible for the users globally to play together and the idea of playing with others from around the world is quite appealing. Additionally, the internet has improved much since it was introduced, they are much faster and able to transfer huge data.
Since the end of 1970s, video games have had a growing negative effect on the users. Number of towns like Kentucky, Colorado and Arkansas have experienced shootings in the schools. All of the teenagers were gamers who played regularly violent games (Anderson, Gentile, & Buckley, 53). This cases have brought forth the issue as to whether there is a connection between social tendencies and video games. One of the issue is brought about by studies show that video games cuts social connection which is important to teenagers (Anderson, Gentile, & Buckley, 24).
Social skills are significant part of development. Behavioural attributes may develop from lacking social skills that can result to high form of anger and anxiety that may lead to adverse implications on social skills. The presence of one in a social setting creates social appreciation through skills. A social setting can offer opportunities for a teenager in how to act morally in varied cases. For instance, a social connection between adults can offer a role model for a teenager, the young person may be in a position to create a new good basis to abide by for good moral tendency (Kronenberger 724).
As one is gaming, a person focus is on the game. Considering that the mind is focused on the game for a long time, it is able to meld with it. According to Kronenberger et al (726), situational input aspects like recent exposure to violent media can have an impact on the teenager leading to aggressive tendencies on his or her inner state. This is represented by cognitive, affective and arousal aspects. Violent media heightens aggression through teaching the users how to be aggressors through priming aggressive cognitions – that comprises of initially acquired scripts and other forms of data – through arousal or developing an aggressive affective condition (Anderson and Bushman, 355).
Generally, video games have the ability to implant certain tendencies into a user’s brain. This can be noted in other games too. For instance where a gamer is playing a positive video game like an educational game, or games that are not violent, the positives of the game can be planted in the brain of the person. The affect a game has to a teenager in social terms to a great extend relies on the type of video game the gamer is using. According to Ritterfeld, and Cody, (65), video games have an influential aspect to a person, though they are basically fantasy. Hence it is reasonable to expect a child that is using a gamer, and is exposed to pro-social tendencies, acquires the role of the positive character or is rewarded for a good act, is bound to behave in the same way in real life if given the opportunity (Perron and Mark, 383).
The video gamers, who are mostly teenagers, are known to have a difficulty to tell of what is real and what is not. They are known to be obsessed with some games. They act as if they live inside the game and care less to what is taking place in the real world. Such teenagers are known to keep themselves distant from family and friends. Additionally, these teenagers are known to perform poorly in school or at their work place and end up doing badly in their social lives. In regards to their behaviour, those who are addicted to games are known to shift their gaming tendencies into real life (Kronenberger et al, 737). For instance, gamers are known to kill others and even try strange things as they had seen and done in the games. Another social issue that is quite dangerous and poses an ethical and social issue with video games is the manner that the game addicts play games for great lengths of time. They end being extremely exhausted, lack sleep, food and water. Generally, they lack good health.
The main issue with video games lies with the aspect of violence and the probable aggression it can impart in one’s mind. However, video games are not all related to negative attributes in the social frame. Though there are a number of exceptions with the video games which make them a violent medium (Perron and Mark, 383). There are several types of video games that offer varied forms of experiences and hence have a number of affects on the users. According to Moller & Krahe (75), there are several negative aspects of video games and research on the other hand shows there are certain positive attributes like positive social attributes. Video games can also offer a social experiences that the society can experience as one.
A game where two or more video game players involves cooperation or competition is known as a multi-player game. In such a game, two or more people are able to relate socially together just as it happens when one is playing cards or other forms of sports (Moller & Krahe 76). Additionally, in online games, multi-player games involve players interacting with several people from different countries. This shows a rigid, positive social experience for teenagers. Video games can similarly be an area of great interest for individuals to talk about; this could be an area that two people can create friendship.
There are similarly new ways that video games can have beneficial impact on the social tendencies of video gamers. One of them is that that video gamers are able to issue improved communication skills. Another beneficial effect on social aspect of life is team building skills. These skills can affect multi-player attributes using the video games through making them learn how to engage with one another. The players are able to know the skills each other has and try to apply their skills as a way to play games (Anderson, Gentile, & Buckley, 87). Additionally, the game players have to strategize amongst themselves and engage in together so as to be effective in what they do just like those in sports. Moreover, when the gamers play on the internet, they are not able to communicate with a member of his or her team, they hence have to aim to get to know each other better.
Video games to a great extent has an effect on people, though the effect on people relies on the video game and the time it is played (Wallenius, M., & Punamäki, 292). The most effective way to make sure a teenager is not left exposed to violent aspects of the games is to manage the form of game that they are playing and the length of time. It is the work of the parents to watch the children playing and to be aware of what is taking place. This will be useful in developing the child socially.
Conclusion
Video games are technologically advanced graphics that is in constant evolution. The games have been known to have varied effects on the social lives of teenagers. This paper has been able to focus on both the good and bad attributes that arises from the video games. The games are known to socially isolate the teenagers and render them unhealthy. Additionally, they tend to apply to real life what they see and do in the games. However, it is not all that is bad. The paper has been able to focus on the positives like team work that one is able to acquire from playing the games. Lastly, the teenagers that take their time to play these video games ought to be controlled so as to not lose their social lives. Parents are hence vital to make this happen. They time and ideas acquired from the games ought to be controlled through the games chosen. This will be useful in helping the teenagers play less and have time to socialize with others while at the same time acquire useful skills from the games.
Works Cited
Anderson, C.A., Gentile, D.A., & Buckley, K.E. Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Kronenberger, W. G., Matthews, V. P., Dunn, D. W., Wang, Y., Wood, E. A., Giauque, A. L., et al. Media violence exposure and executive functioning in aggressive and control adolescents. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61, 2005, 725-737.
Moller, I., & Krahe, B. Exposure to violent video games and aggression in German adolescents: A longitudinal analysis. Aggressive Behavior, 35, 2009, 75-89.
Perron, B. and J. Mark. The Video Game Theory Reader 2. New York: Routledge, 2008, 383-4. Print.
Ritterfeld, U., and Cody, V. Serious Games: Mechanisms and Effects. New York: Routledge, 2009, 65. Print.
Wallenius, M., & Punamäki, R. Digital game violence and direct aggression in adolescence: A longitudinal study of the roles of sex, age, and parent–child communication, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 2008, 286–294.
