Effects of Gaming: In the 90s and early 2000s, video games were primarily enjoyed for their entertainment value. Over time, the video game industry has undergone significant growth, propelled by technological advancements. The complexities and costs associated with creating games for consoles have escalated to unprecedented levels. Today, the video gaming sector not only rivals but surpasses the movie and music industries in terms of significance, marking an era of remarkable expansion.
The sheer number of gamers, exceeding two billion worldwide, is a testament to the industry’s colossal impact. Despite its tremendous growth, gaming has also been accompanied by certain drawbacks. Tragic incidents such as suicides, deaths, and even murders have been linked to the addictive nature of online video games. While gaming has positively impacted millions, it is crucial to acknowledge and address the challenges it poses, particularly concerning the well-being of younger generations.
WHAT IS GAMING?
Gaming means playing electronic games. Games can be played on consoles, PCs, laptops, Mobile or any other medium. The word ‘gaming’ refers to normal gameplay, for example, a hobby. The early games were not so popular, but their popularity has increased exponentially since then. Almost everybody has played games in their lives. Games can be played for recreation or enjoyment and professionally to earn money.
TYPES OF GAMERS: There are two types of gamers
- Casual gamers: People who play games just for recreation, entertainment or to keep up with their friends are called casual gamers. Casual gamers don’t mind losing so much; they won’t keep trying till they win. A casual gamer’s priority is not playing games.
Professional gamers: People who play games to earn fame, money etc., are called professional gamers. Professional gaming has two types of Gamers.
- Content Creators: Gamers who do live streams and post their gameplay on different platforms to get a fan following and earn money. Their main motive is to create videos which would entertain the people.
- Esports Athletes: People who play games to become the best in their game are called esports athletes. Esports athletes compete in a fair environment to come out on top.
EFFECTS OF GAMES ON YOUNGSTERS
The effects of gaming are both positive as well as harmful.
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF GAMING
- Improves cognitive functions: Gaming can enhance cognitive functions like memory, reasoning, perception and visual processing, according to research by the American Psychological Association.
- Resource management and Planning: Some games provide limited resources to the players, and the player has to decide the best use of the resources, just like in real life. Games like Clash Of Clans are best known for planning and resource management.
- Tackling unexpected problems and multitasking: In strategy games, some problems may arise from nowhere and need to be tackled immediately; this gives the person more confidence in tackling problems in real life.
- Better Hand-Eye Coordination: Many types of research have shown that people who play shooting games have perfect Hand-Eye coordination as they have to keep track of positions and react quickly.
- Educational Benefits: Children and teens come across various new terms that increase their knowledge while playing games.
There are also some adverse effects of gaming.
- Increased Aggression: Research has shown that gamers who play violent games such as Call Of Duty show more aggression than ordinary people. People are also desensitized to violence, decreasing their social nature.
- Lower grades: Children who spend much time playing games get tired and do not get enough time to study, thus lowering their grades.
- Adverse Health Effects: People who spend more time sitting in one place playing games rather than doing some physical work increase the risk of obesity. Sometimes, people skip their meals and sleep, too; this can affect the body very severely in the long run.
- Gaming Addiction:ย Addiction to games is a new study in the field of mental disorders as the cases of addiction to games are increasing rapidly. Addiction to games also results in depression, anxiety and social phobia.
IS GAMING GOOD FOR YOU?
Everything under control is a good thing for the human body; when it exceeds the limit, it starts causing different problems. Gaming also has its effects, it is good when limited to an extent, but when it exceeds the limits, it becomes the cause of many problems. One should focus on his/her job/studies beforehand and then play games, so gaming has no adverse effects.
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