Effects Of Online Games On Teenagers

INTRODUCTION

Development in technology brings many things that people don't have many years back. One of these things is online gaming that is provided by the internet.

Online gaming is one of the widely used leisure activities by many people. Teenagers who are playing these online games said that they are playing these games just for fun, to keep away from the heat of the sun, without knowing that there are a lot of effects of playing these games that are more than what they think.

Playing online games, according to some research is beneficial. It enables the mind of the players to be more active, especially those puzzle-based games. It helps the player to come up with decisions in tight situations, especially those adventure games that keep the players to be alert, active and strategic.

Playing these types of games makes the player experienced different feelings because it is as if the player is really the one taking the challenges.

Despite those benefits, playing these games also bring negative effects. It requires much of the player's time, leaving school activities and home works unattended.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Online gaming ----- are games that are played online via the Internet

Internet --------------- an electronic network of computers that includes nearly every university, government, and research facility in the world.

ICAD------------------- Internet Cafes Association of Davao City

Eyestrain------------- pain and fatigue of the eyes, often accompanied by headache, resulting from prolonged use of the eyes, uncorrected defects of vision, or an imbalance of the eye muscles.

Obesity--------------- the condition of being obese; increased body weight caused by excessive accumulation of fat.

Aping----------------- the act, practice, or art of copying the manner or expression of another

Epidemic------------ as used in the study, is a widespread or scattering youth violence

BODY

Many researchers had come up with different effects of online gaming. People come up with these researches because of the fact that in every activity that we are engaging, there are effects, it may be positive or negative. Playing online games has both effects.

We will consider first the positive effects of playing these games. According to some research, some these games are good like those puzzle-based games, because your mind is active.

According to the Western State University study in Vancouver, Canada, persons who play computer games have better vision compared to non-players. Computer games also assist players in improving "hand and eye" coordination and improve reflexes.

There are also evidences to suggest that computer games expand a player's ability on spatial subjects. It is also a venue for teenagers to have fun rather than engage in vices.

In addition to that, Benjun Jamora, founder of ICAD, says that computer games are actually mind games that require a player to think of strategies to properly play a game and not just any kind of play. It is also noted that computer games improve logical thinking and enhance problem-solving skills. There are also many other educational games which aim to improve communication, alertness, to locate things easily without straining too much.

While parents wonder why their children are playing computer games rather than playing outside with their friends, many researchers say that computer games are the key to success in an information age. Findings suggest that people who play computer games take risks and react with ease on stressful situation. Playing these games also makes sharper soldiers, drivers, and surgeons because their reaction time and peripheral vision are better.

In an information society, playing games with resource management-where you need to process massive amounts of information to determine which is important and which you let slide- might be the right kind of play.

These and I think a lot more are the positive effects of playing online games.

On the contrary, there are also a lot of bad effects that this online gaming activity brings.

The social and health problems with these games are many, for example, sleep-deprivation, and lack of hygiene and relationship failures.

It is proven to cause a decrease in interpersonal relationships, family relationships, physical activity, increase in eyestrain, obesity, and can even cause you to change your personality and ethics and even self-restraint.

When computer games get in a student's way, nothing more will be left but tired eyes, empty pockets, and piles of school and home works unattended. What makes it worse is that they get to obsessed with these trend that it evolves into a harmful vice which pushes them until they reach the point of neglecting school and cutting classes just to go to those stations and play. These youths are apparently addicted. They are destroying their future without even noticing it.

Worse is, gamers are aping skills they learned on video consoles. They are likely to do what is done during the game. They are replicating the scenarios as how it appears in the game. They become violent.

To make things clear, here is an excerpt from an article that I happen to browse in the internet.

A large gap exists between the public's perception of video games and what the research actually shows. The following is an attempt to separate fact from fiction.

1. The availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence.

According to federal crime statistics, the rate of juvenile violent crime in the United States is at a 30-year low. Researchers find that people serving time for violent crimes typically consume fewer medium before committing their crimes than the average person in the general population. It's true that young offenders who have committed school shootings in America have also been game players. But young people in general are more likely to be gamers -- 90 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls play. The overwhelming majority of kids who play do NOT commit antisocial acts. According to a 2001 U.S. Surgeon General's report, the strongest risk factors for school