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The effects of video games on teens
The effects of video games on teens
Negative effects of video games in teens
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Recommended: The effects of video games on teens
A. Audience: The ideal audience for this presentation would be a wide group of adult individuals who either play video games or who suspect an individual of video game addiction. The information on the effects this can cause as well as some of the treatment options available will be of great significance to the audience because it will allow them to get a full view of the problem and provide steps to eliminate the addiction.
1. Outline:
I. Introduction
A. Attention getter: Nine Hours, this is the average amount screen time per day for a typical teenager, longer than even a good night's rest. (Scharper, 2018)
B. Thesis statement: Research shows the more time a person spends on video games, creates a decline in social life
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Spending to much time on video games creates a lack of social involvement and health-related issues.
2. Setting screen time boundaries and seeking help with video game addiction can lower or eliminate the addiction.
II. Video game addiction is causing a decline in social involvement and health issues.
a. Video game addiction is shown to negatively impact family relationships, academic success, social self-efficacy, and participation in social activities. (Zorbaz, 2015)
b. There are reports of the addiction causing malnutrition, dehydration, and even vitamin D deficiencies. (SCHARPER, 2018)
c. In some individuals, it has even cause photosensitive epilepsy from uninterrupted visual stimulation from a prolonged presence in front of a screen. (Tavormina, 2017)
(SCHARPER, 2018)
III. Setting screen time boundaries and seeking help with video game addiction can lower or eliminate the addiction.
a. Time restricting boundaries are the first step in kicking video game addiction, setting a time period of up to one hour per day can be very helpful, as well as turning off any notifications from games or apps. (SCHARPER, 2018)
b. The impulse control patterns from video game addiction can also greatly benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy. (Tavormina,
Massoud, Justin. “Video Game Addiction – Five Extreme Cases.” Asylum For All Mankind. Aol Inc. 3 November 2009. Web. 5 May 2014.
Addiction has been defined as "A primary, chronic disease, characterized by impaired control over the use of a psychoactive substance and/or behavior. Clinically, the manifestations occur along biological, psychological, sociological and spiritual dimensions (2)." While there is currently no category for video game addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3), which is the manual utilized to diagnose psychological disorders, video game addicts are often described by clinicians in the field as displaying many symptoms characteristic of other addictions. These behaviors include failure to stop playing games, difficulties in work or school, telling lies to loved ones, decreased attention to personal hygiene, decreased attention to family and friends, and disturbances in the sleep cycle (4). Withdrawal symptoms can even include behaviors as severe as shaking (5).
Finally, video games addiction should be taken seriously because it affects gamers’ lives. Each individual should take prevention measures for this community problem and help people who are struggling with this addiction in order to avoid the harmful consequences. In time when computers are taking great part of our time we should try to keep in touch with the reality regardless of the appeal of the virtual life.
The second reason video games are an issue is that videogames have been linked to a variety of mental and physical ailments. The most common physical health problems tend to be arthritis from barely moving the fingers while using a keyboard or game controller, and a variety of eye problems due to constantly staring at the game screen. The most frequently occurring mental problems range from delusions to schizophrenia and becoming desensitized to violence. Keegan says that "repeated exposure to violent images can make people less sensitive to the effects of violence" (1). All of these ailments, both mental and physical, can and will occur in many people, but this statement only holds true if the player spends much of his or her free time playing video games. The essay “Violence and the Media: A Psychological Analysis,” shows how the number of hours spent watching a television program may be more influential than the nature of the program itself (Javier 4). While this statement refers ...
...Walsh suggest that moderation is the key to dealing with an addicted adolescent, limit the amount of time they play the game, and ensure that their priorities are taken care, school work, chores, or family time. If this does not work than Walsh recommends removing video games completely. Additionally Walsh argues that if people are partaking of media, movies, video games, or surfing the web, they are not outside playing, or participating in sports. They are not getting enough exercise, which can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health related issues. Video games can be a positive aspect of adolescent or adult life, the key as in most things is moderation.
The average adolescent spends a major part of the normal week watching or interacting with some form of the media’s products. Video games are one of these media based mediums and have become increasingly popular since the 1980’s. According to a report in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, "Female gamers spent an average of 44 minutes playing on the weekdays and one hour and four minutes playing on the weekends, and male gamers spent an average of 58 minutes playing on the weekdays and one hour and 37 minutes playing on the weekends" ("Video Game Play Among Adolescents"). What can we understand from this evidence? The fact is that adolescents, male or female, are spending tremendous amounts of time each day sitting in front of a screen with a controller in hand.
Studies have shown that there is a wide variety of physical and behavioral effects that video games can have on their players.
Game addicts cannot go on about that day without playing a game. They will spend at an average of twenty-four hours a week on gaming alone. Many game addicts forget about the everyday basic necessity such as eating, bathing and sleeping and continue on their games. Seungseob lee, a gamer addict who did not take care of himself, “played Starcraft for more than fifty consecutive hours at an internet cafe before suffering a fatal heart attack” (DAnastasio). The game addiction’s danger to health is tremendous mostly among adults and teenagers that are not under adult supervision. A solution to the game addiction problem would be simply prevent the person from accessing the game, but that also causes major problems. Brett, a gamer addict, thought of suicide when he wasn’t allowed to play his video game. He states, “At the time [I] felt anything had to be better than not being allowed to play Counter Strike” (DAnastasio). Brett ended up getting depression and started failing his classes. Brett cut himself away from the world and won’t even come out of the room. Excessive gaming can also “. . . induce pseudo hallucinatory-like experiences” (Clark). It happens when the gamer gets off the game after a long hours of playing. The gamer feels as if he or she is still in the game. One game addict claims to see and hear the zombies out the window of his home. These hallucinations can cause serious psychological and
First video games are not harmful to the public quite the contrary actually. Many video games encourage social behavior and team work whether that is the two player cooperative shooter game that two brothers play together working as a team inspiring positive feelings overriding the negative ones as stated in the study coauthored by David Ewoldsen. Or a family on game night all playing a game together and having a great time and bonding together because of the experience. And many games today don’t stop there at just play together and have fun. Many games promote teamwork skills through puzzles which can be solved together, or enemies that the players must work together to defeat. These positive social effects are not limited to one’s family but extend into online play, where one can converse and enjoy his time with others, creating entire
Video games are not considered as a serious addiction amongst teenagers and adults, often being compared to severe cases of addiction, such as drug abuse or alcohol abuse that may result in the appearance of a decrease in the severity of the addiction. However, video game addiction is a serious matter and has unhealthy consequences for an individual 's life and their health; spending too much time playing video games can take a great toll on one 's physical and mental well-being. Continuing unhealthy patterns of video game activity for prolonged periods of time can result in mental health issues, physical health problems, and a decline in a social life.
Many people believe that video games change people and mislead them to do bad things, such as drugs and alcohol, but it is the opposite. Gaming prevents people from such acts and actually helps to keep them away from the substances. Lots of people, mainly parents, believe that video games harm people so they try to keep their children away from them. In reality, video games make your life better. Video games can provide many benefits to your lifestyle as “numerous academic studies indicate that playing video games has many psychological and even physical benefits” (Guarini). Gaming helps stimulate the brain and advances your problem solving abilities. There are disadvantages to gaming, which is true, but the amount of benefits outweigh them by far.
Video games are often portrayed in a negative manner because they are seen as having an "addictive" quality. Addiction has been defined as "A primary, chronic disease, characterized by impaired control over the use of a psychoactive substance and/or behavior. Despite the wonderful benefits games offer as diversions, spending too much time, to the neglect of normal life duties, and social development with direct contact with others can and often does happen. Clinically, the manifestations occur along biological, sociological, spiritual and especially psychological. Some psychological effects that affect the behaviors are failure to play outdoor games, difficulties in work or school, telling lies to everyone, decreased attention to personal hygiene, decreased attention to family and friends, and disturbances in the sleep cycle. Many video game addicts have strug...
Video games not only affect your social skills but can deteriorate a person’s health. When you confine to yourself playing v...
Several years ago, technology and child’s play were not such as extremely developed as today. Thousands of teenagers have video game as their primary form of entertainment at home. The disagreement about violent video games is because they focus on several subjects such as violence scenes, pornographic content, racism and other resources. For many years, researchers have been debating if video games can cause dependence or not. However, an expert, Jack Flanagan believes video games have a really negative effect on a person’s life and even for children. Jack states that video game addiction exists, and can have the same effects as drugs and alcohol (Netzley 36-37). This shows that video game addiction can be like other addictions
Therapy can give you a tremendous boost in controlling gaming use. Cognitive-behavioral therapy provides step-by-step ways to stop compulsive Internet behaviors and change...