Impact of Video Games on Children

Technology has touched every sphere of human life, whether it is entertainment, work or leisure. A video game is an example of such technological advancement in the field of electronics and entertainment. A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device which is generally a TV or an LCD. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, but it now implies to any type of display device that can produce a two dimensional or three-dimensional images. Video game display varies from TV-LCD, computer, large game panels, mobile screen or small pocket-sized devices which are easy to handle. The video game panel or platforms may range from large mainframe computers to small handheld devices which are easy to carry and operate. Some advanced versions of video games like X-box and PS are also available in the market that is also exciting grown-ups as well.

Video games generally may use additional means of providing interactivity and information to the player like some sounds or clues. Audio is almost universal, using sound reproduction devices, such as speakers and headphones. Video games make use of another separate device for the input which may be in the form of remote, keys on hand device, mouse or a separate remote. Some games these days are also based on the input signal by action sensors, in which you can play games like tennis and cricket, and hit shots as you would do in actual.

Video games have been available to consumers for about last 30 years and are a unique form of entertainment because these games encourage players to become a part of the game's script and an effective as well as the interactive interface. Video games are much more demanding than other sources of entertainment. Video games require constant attention from the player towards the game, rather than just sitting and watching a movie. This has both positive and negative impacts on players. Several studies have been published that explore these impacts on today's children but none has clearly reached a conclusion whether it is harmful or advantageous for growing children.

Types of Video Games

There can be three types of video games:

• Casual Games: Casual games are those which are easily accessible and are readily available for customers of all age groups and are simple to handle, understand and play. Casual games frequently support the ability to jump in and out of play on demand. Casual games as a format existed long before the term was coined and included video games such as Solitaire or Minesweeper which can commonly be found pre-installed with your computer or laptop. These casual games are most commonly played on personal computers, cell phones or PDAs, and can also be found on many of the online console system download services. These are also available in some cassette or CD playing console type also.
• Serious Games: Serious games are those games that are specially designed to convey information or a learning experience of some sort to the player or team. Some of the serious games may even fail to qualify as a video game in the traditional sense of the term. Educational games do not fall in this category and are categorized separately. Serious games are basically those games which are generally designed with an intention beyond simple entertainment and may also include works from any given genre whether social, education or sports based. Serious games such as exercise games, educational games, or propaganda games may have a higher representation in this group due to their subject matter. These games are typically designed to be played by some professionals as part of a specific job or for skill set improvement like a car designing company may use the car-race game to check compatibility of their designed model. Serious games may also be created to convey social-political awareness on a specific subject.
• Educational Games: An effective way of learning these days is in the form of online learning in the form of online learning, which may include either online tutorials journals or educational games. Educational games are aimed at improving the technological, mathematical, scientific and engineering abilities of the students in an interesting and interactive way and thus help to achieve the goal of students to excel in these departments. Some of these games may be in the form of a quiz or a competition among multiple users which also leads to a sense of competition to study more and be the best in the related field. 
  Educational games help users in learning about various topics while engaging them in fun of playing video games. There are many different types and styles of educational games available today which include the games from counting to spelling, games for kids and games for adults. Some other games do not have any particular targeted audience in mind and intended to simply educate or inform whoever views or plays the game and maybe giving education on some current topics or general knowledge or anything else related to education.

Advantages of Video Games

Video games associated today as one of the necessary parts of childhood also comes in with lots of advantages, it is not a mere source of entertainment and fun but also helps in the all-round development of the children in many ways. When a child plays video games, it gives his brain some real workout.  In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high-level thinking which are not even taught at school, hence in an interest to win the game children do put in a lot of minds and their best thinking levels leading to the overall development of their brains. There is a very common myth that suggests that videos games are overall unhealthy for children, promoting violence, make them abusive and addictive behaviours among growing children. Because of the typical violent nature of some games, people associates playing such videos games with rude, anti-social, and violent behaviours in the children. However, many psychologists’ scientists and child experts believe that there are positive video game effects on children, and can promote high-level thinking.

It would not be wrong to term video games as natural teachers. Children find them highly motivating; by virtue of their interactive nature and fun related, children are actively engaged with them; they provide repeated practice, and they include rewards for skilful play. All these facts make it likely that video games can have a large effect, some of which are especially intended by game designers as an additional benefit for the gamers, and some of which may not be intended but may be beneficial for the player in one way or the other.

Few video games have been shown to teach children some healthy skills for the self-care of some diseases or basic first aid techniques, and have been successful at imparting the attitudes, skills, and behaviours that they were designed to teach their users. There have even been studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Many research works also suggest that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games which involve a major part in playing these games. Some of the mental skills enhanced by playing these games are:

• Learning to follow instructions.
• Improves problem solving and logic.
• Improves planning and resource management skills.
• Promotes quick thinking and quick analysis of the situation.
• Improves hand-eye coordination.
• Improves their accuracy.
• Develop concentrating skills.
• Pattern recognition.
• Hypothesis testing.
• Improves memory and mapping ability.
• Judgments.
• Taking risks.
• How to respond to challenges.
• How to respond to frustrations.
•  How to explore and rethink goals.
• Promotes teamwork and cooperation when played with others.

Certain video games allow parents and kids to play together and can be a good bonding activity for them.  Some games are attractive to both kids as well as adults, and they could be something that they share in common.  When children know more about a game than adults, they can teach them you how to play that particular game and this allows parents to understand their child’s skills and talents. Video games make learning fun. Kids like games because of the colours, the animation, the eye candy, as well as the interactivity and the challenge and the rewards of winning and this leads to the best way of learning by having fun at the same time as they learn and progress.  That’s why video games are natural teachers.  Having fun gives them motivation to keep on practising, which is the only way to learn more and more skills. Video games are also capable of making difficult subjects such as math a fun and would not be boring enough for students to run away.

Video games tend to increase self-confidence and self-esteem among kids as they masters in games.   In many games, the levels of difficulty are adjustable which helps in step by step growth pattern.  As a beginner, kid begins at the easy level and by constant practising and slowly building skills, they become confident in handling more difficult challenges hence promoting their practising spirit and confidence.  Since the cost of failure is lower, they do not fear to make mistakes and also learn how to take calculative risks. As they take more risks they tend to explore more. Kids can transfer this attitude to real life too.

Violent video games may act as a release of pent-up aggression and frustration of children.  When kids vent their frustration and anger in the game, this tends to diffuse their stress levels. Games can provide a positive aggression outlet in the same way as football and other violent sports. Playing video games is safer than having teens do drugs, alcohol and street racing in the real world hence also a way to keep children well in a safe environment.

Disadvantages of Video Games

Given the fact that video games are able to have several positive effects on children, it is evident that they also can have negative effects. Nothing useful comes without disadvantages. Various research works have documented negative effects of video games on children's physical health which includes obesity, video-induced seizures, and postural, muscular and skeletal disorders, nerve compression, and carpal tunnel syndrome and many behavioural changes also. It is not evident that all children get spoilt or harmed by these games, but still, all these negativities occur for most of the children involved. The parents should be most concerned about two main things:

1. The amount of time that children play.
2. The content of the games that they play.

There is no doubt that many of today's video games are vital learning tools, but still, there are also quite a number of games that simply waste the time of the students and are only aimed at making profits for the makers. Childhood is the age when children learn to build strong social relationships, but when they indulge in the gaming thing and dedicate most of their time in these activities they lack the communication skills as they spend most of their valuable time alone, engaged in video games. Such video games do not instal any values among children; teach them to build growing relationships or communication skills instead leads to a social cut off. Other negative effects may be:

• Promotes violence.
• Inculcates inappropriate behaviour.
• Become more prone to the confrontation with their teachers.
• May engage in fights with their peers.
• Leads to a decline in social activity.
• Increase aggressive behaviour.
• Waste of time.
• Health problem.
• Creates a lack of interest in studies.
• Technology addiction.

Video games do have an important place in society, but without any proper control and management on the part of parents, they will continue to negatively influence younger generation and encourage physical inactivity, disrespect, and violence. Taking a stand against inappropriate video games and managing the time spent in this activity is a critical responsibility for everyone, hence parents should keep a check on this issue and make their children clearly aware of the limited use of this thing for their positive development.