In our time, there is nowhere without a computer: here are collected the programs necessary for work and education, useful communications, and entertainment in the form of computer games. The latter, unfortunately, is gradually becoming a problem for all mankind.
Every year, the entertainment industry presents gamers with new arcades, simulations and adventure games with exciting stories and vivid illustrations. It is sometimes difficult for both children and adults to refuse such virtual pleasure. What harm do computer games do to the minds of children and adults, and what are the dangers of online entertainment?
Harm of computer games for children
The main danger lurking in computer games is addiction. Like any drug or alcohol, online entertainment can overshadow the human mind. Getting into a virtual addiction, a person is completely disconnected from the real world, up to the refusal of food and sleep. Gambling addiction is a serious mental disorder that can only be treated medically.
A special risk group is children - preschoolers and adolescents. And if an adult is able not to succumb to virtual addiction, then children, who have not yet fully developed their mind and psyche, quickly fall under the negative influence of a computer.
In addition, adults have a more acute sense of time than children, which means that a small child or teenager can spend several hours in a row playing computer games, while it will seem to him that he is playing only a few minutes. Virtual entertainment is also dangerous for the parent's wallet. What teenager doesn't want to quickly level up their character without spending months of perseverance and waiting? Most online games today provide this service for a fee.
Another negative point of computer games is. Feeling like a superhero in a virtual life, it seems to the child that in reality everything is quite simple. But returning to the real world, the teenager quickly realizes that success is not achieved by just pressing a key. Self-doubt grows, anger towards others - all this often leads to suicide.
And even if not all adults are able to succumb to the mental effects of virtual entertainment, they still reap their rewards from frequent sitting at computer games: poor eyesight, a twisted spine, problems with the musculoskeletal system, nervousness, etc. In addition, gambling can be a serious reason for the breakup of a family. At present, the number of cases has increased when a married couple breaks up not only because of drunkenness or infidelity of one of the spouses, but also because of gambling addiction. Outside the virtual world, an avid gamer becomes absent-minded, cannot concentrate on business, ignores his duties, which leads to a number of problems in his career.
HARM FROM COMPUTER
"What is our life? Game!" Shakespeare once said. Did the great playwright know that in a few centuries the capitalists would reverse this phrase, and the Game would be compared with Life, and not vice versa? Today, millions of people voluntarily imprison themselves in the matrices of computer games, chaining themselves to keyboards with dependence on virtual reality. Engaged in exciting fantasy battles, addiction victims live in the game, leaving only a hunched, obese body in our world. Sometimes his life support systems fail during the next session of computer entertainment, and the person dies. Meanwhile, the ruthless machine of the gaming industry is reaping billions in profits from ruined souls, producing ever more advanced "substitutes for reality." A gamer (so-called addicted to computer games) goes into virtual worlds, from which only a few return.
But the "Ministry of Health" warned. In the early nineties of the last century, only a lazy psychologist was not marked by a publication about the dangers of computer games, then only raising their heads. Now, instead of these articles, reviews of new samples of virtual dope are being printed: after all, the 21st century is in the yard, and psychologists are no longer relevant. Why don't we figure it out ourselves? We figured it out, and now game manufacturers are competing in the realism of virtual worlds, the possibilities for developing their character, the number of "bonuses". The indicator of "time to pass" comes to the fore, which in conventional terminology is the same as the strength of the drug. A person spends real time on imaginary development, exchanging his health for an increase in numbers that exist only in the computer's memory and sick imagination.
Of all addictions, the strongest is psychological. When there is no strength left to fight something, the only way for a coward is to run away from the problem. Turn away from reality. So they get addicted to drugs or alcohol. Computer games are no better, a person bogged down in invented worlds loses fundamental instincts: awareness of space and time, life and death. Morality and communication skills with people are far behind, but who cares when in the game you can feel strong, be a hero, replaying unpleasant moments in case of failure! The flickering of the monitor warms the downtrodden soul, taking it into the world of dreams. And the more time the player spends at the computer, the worse the addiction becomes, changing the consciousness of the victim. Experiences associated with virtual characters are experienced as one's own, and adrenaline is released into the blood - a drug in itself that makes the parts of the brain responsible for pleasure work. In normal situations (take at least sports), this hormone "spurs" the body, forcing us to do everything "faster, higher, stronger", and itself is destroyed when moving. But in the blood of the sitting body, it stagnates, destroying the nervous system. As a result - neurasthenia and irreparable changes in the brain.
Consciousness begins to exist already "on the other side of the screen." The more enthusiastically a gamer plays, the less he reacts to external stimuli. The need to eat and sleep is replaced by the need to kill virtual monsters, and the human mind stops hearing the body's natural signals. As a result - dysfunction of the cardiovascular system, exhaustion of the body, loss of consciousness and necrosis of tissues. A person slowly dies without realizing it. So, for example, the Thais Thanet Sommoi and Yuen Long died, having lost the whole night in "Counter-Strike" and "Diablo II", respectively. Unfortunate "lucky", the incident received publicity only because it happened in an Internet cafe. But there are many such cases, and they differ only in the cause of death (most often this is a cerebral hemorrhage) and the place of action. Also, a huge number of suicides are associated with computer games. In 2001, Russia was shocked by the suicide of six schoolchildren who were fatally carried away by the game "Last Fantasy". In the same year, the suicide of Sean Woolley from the USA, who "did not return" from the game "Everquest", acquired a wide public outcry. “It was like any other addiction,” Elizabeth, the mother of the deceased, told reporters. “You either die, or go crazy, or get out. My son died.” After the incident, she created a program for the treatment of gambling addiction, which is currently unable to cope with the flow of clients.
In terms of effects on the body, computer entertainment is akin to drugs. But if the whole world is irreconcilably fighting against intoxicating substances, then only individual enthusiasts care about gambling. A particularly difficult situation with gaming addiction is in Russia, where computer "piracy" flourishes. The games are easily accessible, and the population is not educated enough to appreciate the danger they pose. Most often, children and teenagers become victims of virtual reality in our country - parents encourage the virtual adventures of their offspring, naively thinking that this is better than a bad company in the back alleys. Alas, they teach to kill just computer shooters. The plots of most games cultivate deceit and violence as the only ways to solve the problem, and even if the child does not become addicted to virtuality, his psyche will still be damaged by the iron monster. Behavioral foundations are formed in childhood, you know.
"This is not a game, this is life," reviewers of gaming magazines like to end reviews of regular multi-gigabyte shooters with these words. Beautiful words, but only the heroes of computer games have a few lives. We live once, there is no alternative to life, and no one will let us "replay" it. The gaming industry can only release a pseudo-real surrogate, slowly but surely leading to the death of its consumer. The most interesting game is still our life, as the classic spoke about. You shouldn't change it for dead flickering pictures, believe me.
Zhanna Alekseenko
Harm of some computer games
Harvard's Kimberley Thompson and Kevin Haninger found that popular E-video games recommended for children over the age of six tend to instill violence and cruelty in children. There you need to beat, shoot and kill, and there is a reward for this. In action games, violence takes up 91 percent of the time, with 27 percent of games resulting in violence resulting in death.
But in parallel with the inoculation of cruelty in the computer generation, there is a decline in mental abilities. Scientists at Tohoku University in Japan found that computer games stimulate only those parts of the brain that are responsible for vision and movement, but do not contribute to the development of other important parts of it. Games stop the development of the frontal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for human behavior, memory training, emotions and learning.
So, computer games lead to the degradation of the frontal lobes. And those children who do good old arithmetic and solve traditional mathematical problems develop their frontal lobes. When their intellectual abilities were compared with the successes of those young people who spent days on end at the Nintendo video console, it turned out that to solve arithmetic problems of the level of our great-grandfathers, much more intellectual efforts are needed than those that “video computer” children spend on their “shooters” ”and“ walkers ”, and these efforts just fall on the frontal lobes of our brain. In addition to mathematics, the brain is best developed by activities that Mikhailo Lomonosov indulged in in the era of candles and sails - reading and writing.
The world's largest association of psychologists - the American APA - seems to have come to the final conclusion that video games with elements of violence have a negative impact on children and young people.
The association concluded that "play" violence provokes "aggressive thoughts, aggressive behavior and angry feelings among young people."
"By showing violent action without consequences, games teach youth that violence is an effective means of resolving conflict," said APA psychologist Elizabeth Carl. According to her, having "played enough" in violence, teenagers may want to continue experiments with aggression in real life.
And today's games offer precisely to engage in sadism in a perverted form and also enjoy it, realistically showing what will actually happen. That is, the child will not be stopped by the fact that after killing one person, he will suddenly see a pulsating fountain of blood from the wound and the victim's death cramps. He will ALREADY consider this normal and will go on killing, catching a buzz. This is where situations like in America come from - a schoolboy gets high for half a day by killing his peers, until he just gets bored with it.
COMPUTER GAMES: BENEFITS OR HARMS?
The computerization of our lives has long become familiar and has brought along with it a lot of problems along with benefits. This also applies to computer games - especially since they are mainly addicted to children and adolescents. In society, the opinion is spreading more and more that they are dangerous for the child's psyche: they develop aggressiveness in him, narrow his circle of interests, impoverish the emotional sphere
The computer, of course, is a useful thing in the household. They can hammer nails. No? Will not work? Well, then you can put a vase of flowers on it and stick stickers on it. Again no? Then you can put a child behind him - let him learn to comprehend the interactive space. Everyone understands that this is a tool with which you can earn money, and communicate, and learn a lot of useful things. It's all about how you use your computer. What is the danger? There is growing concern among parents around the world that children are spending too much time on the computer and on the Internet.
Until recently, the Internet was associated with a source where children could get a huge amount of useful information. It is known that the computer is only a means of faster and more convenient transmission of information, it allows us to reach a wider circle of people. Greek mythology, math games, learning English grammar - all this helps to improve your knowledge. Now all these pluses have become minuses. Studies have shown that children spend very little time on the Internet, learning something. Basically, a computer is needed for games, the Internet - for downloading music and programs (mainly the same games), as well as for interactive communication. Most online games are accompanied by chats, and under the guise of their characters, players communicate with each other. It is chatting that attracts many teenagers who are still alone and do not feel like members of society, and taking part in the game, they satisfy their need for communication and sometimes they find friends only there. Computer games are, of course, very interesting and popular now. People make a lot of money playing games. And a huge number of children are infected with the desire to play games. Children rush home after school or to special clubs to quickly continue the game they have started and see what happens next. There are many sites on the Internet dedicated to these "toys", and on these sites the counters show high numbers.
In the age of universal computerization, when computer science lessons at schools have become commonplace, you will never meet a teenager who has never sat down at a computer in a big city ... If there is no computer at home, one of your friends or acquaintances will definitely invite you to play and look. How not to go? After all, everyone is going ... Everyone is playing. But really - everyone plays! Computer games have become something of a childhood infection. Today, many scientists and sociologists believe that computer games are drugs. They are addictive, excite excitement. And it's hard to get rid of them. But not everyone is aware of the fact that there are so many harmful things in games. I, like all parents, understand that this problem can arise in any family in the most unexpected way. If earlier children, having come from school, immediately ran outside to play football, now everyone runs to monitors or computer clubs to play football online. But what's the point of that - not a penny! Caring parents are sounding the alarm: children are practically never outdoors, they move little, they have difficulty with personal communication. The opinions of parents about what exactly harms the child are divided: some consider the biggest evil that children spend too much time at the computer, others see the problem in the content of the sites they browse. Computer games in general are a strange thing. Many consider them extremely dangerous - for a number of reasons: escape from reality, the possibility of a miraculous resurrection after death, violence in computer games. Psychologists say that the computer industry has created millions of antisocial zombies who know no other means of communication than games and violent virtual environments. Such adolescents lose their vitality, become easily excitable and angry with others, they are easily offended, and they become prone to quarrels even with people close and loved by them.
The main harm from computer games is mainly associated with their excessive use. For any age, there are, as you know, certain temporary norms, and they must be strictly adhered to. But those for whom computer games are a source of livelihood (game manufacturers, authors of gaming publications that tell about the benefits of computer games, owners of computer clubs) say quite the opposite - there are interested parties. It's just that each of them is interested in his own and tries to achieve this by any means available to him. And what do you want - business is business ... Supporters of the opinion that the computer is absolutely safe for teenagers believe that the introduction of computer games into the structure of a teenager's hobbies only distracts him from other types of leisure for a few weeks, and then most children return to their former hobbies . In addition, they argue that adolescents who spend their free time at the computer are generally more smart and purposeful than their peers, and better assess their abilities and capabilities. Simply, in their opinion, there are fans, the number of which, however, does not exceed 10-12%. But numbers are numbers, and behind each of them are human lives. Ask those parents who are faced with the intractable problem of computer addiction of their own child, do they care about the question: is it a lot or a little - 10%?
After sociologists identified the phenomenon of a person's psychological dependence on software in 1994, the public, as it should be, was divided into three camps. The first advocated an immediate ban on computer games in any of their manifestations, including Tetris. The second argued that the problem is generally “sucked out of thin air”, and games are nothing more than a pleasant way to spend leisure time. And still others, who had not yet made up their minds, indifferently watched the developing actions and waited for how it would all end. Almost a decade has passed since then. Today, this problem has not only not been solved, but has become even more painful and deeper, the disputes have become louder and more aggressive, and the games themselves have become much larger. This deadly sin was most often blamed on action games, which are popularly called "shooters", which are mainly blamed for the presence of scenes of cruelty and violence. According to experts, participation in such games leads to the fact that players begin to use similar methods of solving problems in real life. There are actually dozens of such stories. The panic is well founded. And we should not frivolously dismiss this new dependence, they say, we are still far from the complete computerization of the country, so the danger is not great. Once upon a time, we were just as frivolous about drug addiction. Please note that many teenagers spend almost all their free time in the club. When and what will they learn to become people in demand in adult life? A person who has not received other skills other than the ability to move a mouse, scream loudly for joy or grief, and the ability to distinguish one game from another, having entered adulthood, will have to quickly learn something. Otherwise, he will have to join the ranks of the same alcoholics and drug addicts, or he will have to go stealing, because he does not know how to earn money. How will such a person support a family? And will he be able to start a family? After all, the skill of communicating with girls also did not arise. What about health? Will the young man have problems with the reproduction of offspring, will there be diseases associated with a decrease in visual acuity, vascular problems, physical inactivity? Are we now witnessing the emergence of another "lost generation"?
You can talk for a very long time about the benefits and harms of computer games. However, the funniest thing lies in the fact that they themselves do not have either a sign of harm or a sign of usefulness, just like any other object. After all, you can cut a lemon with a knife, or you can kill an old woman. And for some reason, it never occurred to anyone to ban knives. It's not about the objects, but about how, by whom and for what purpose they are used. I'm reminded of Sony Online Entertainment Vice President Scott McDaniel. When asked to put labels on EverQuest packages warning of potential danger, he replied: “Any product must be used responsibly, because there are no warnings like “don't run over people” on cars. In everything you need to know the measure, and those who have children should be interested in what they are doing. And he's right.
Of course, parents need to be more attentive to what their child is doing in general, and to what games he plays, in particular. The harm and benefits of computer games are one of those questions that cannot be answered unambiguously. One thing is obvious: everything is good in moderation, and each person must be responsible for his life, to know what is harmful and disastrous for him, and what is beneficial. We draw conclusions, gentlemen!
Have you ever thought that computer games can be useful for your children? Oddly enough, “shooters” with “walkers” can also benefit your child.
Unexpected effect
Any sane parent today will tell you that computer toys are very harmful. First of all, many believe that from endless sitting at the monitor, vision deteriorates, and children become victims of physical inactivity with all the ensuing negative consequences: obesity, cardiovascular disease, curvature of the spine, and others.
Of course, there is a rational grain in this. Indeed, excessive interest in the computer harms the health of the child, and it is difficult to argue with this. But on the other hand, everything, any abuse is harmful. Whether it's morning exercises or a fanatical passion for a healthy lifestyle. Does this mean that computer games in the optimal dosage can be useful? You will be surprised, but there are undeniable benefits here too!
What are the advantages?
Scientists who carefully observed children at play noted that computer games develop fine motor skills. This is facilitated by the need to control the mouse or joystick. In parallel, the nervous system is trained. A child playing computer games has a good reaction, and also perfectly captures and correlates visual signals. So, recently, large-scale studies were conducted at the University of Rochester, which showed that the visual reaction of "gamers" is much better than that of the observed from the control group (students who do not play computer games). In addition, those who play computer games process visual information much faster. It's all about the rapidly changing multi-colored pictures, details that the gamer must keep a close eye on. Thus, there is a constant training and adaptation of the visual analyzer.
Questions from readers
Hello. I am 22 years old October 18, 2013, 17:25 Hello. I am 22 years old. For the past week, I have had regular headaches on the right side of the back of my head. Before that, I had never experienced headaches at all. Since, because of my profession, I spend up to 18 hours a day in front of a computer, the first thing I did was a complete eye examination, the diagnosis was dry eye syndrome and everything else was fine. What is the cause of these pains? She first appeared abruptly, during sex.
And with regard to excess weight, which, as is commonly believed, is growing at the computer, then everything is not so simple here either. In particular, scientists from Hong Kong noticed an interesting “detail”. It turns out that weight is gained not so much because of sitting at the monitor, but because of eating fast food at this time. Often in front of the computer, children are fond of chips, cola, sweets, but adults are not averse to indulging in beer.
In addition, it is worth noting that among the endless variety of computer games there are many games where the child needs to be smart and “turn on” the logic, which will positively affect the development of your child.
Among other things, it is worth noting that a computer game is also an opportunity for parents to relax, or to calmly do household chores. Your child will be busy with business for some time, and will definitely not disturb you, as he will have to cope with more serious tasks in the virtual world.
Be carefull
Well, now let's talk about the usual harmfulness of computer games. As a parent, you must ensure that your child does not play violent games, as such hobbies can lead to cruelty and violence. If you notice that after computer games your child becomes aggressive - sound the alarm. It is best to contact a psychologist in order to competently solve this problem and not worsen the situation.
When sitting at a computer for a long time, the eyes are overworked, which eventually leads to a decrease in vision. In addition, from a long sitting position, problems with the spine and joints can occur.
One of the most dangerous consequences passion for computer games is the development of addiction. The addiction is so serious that the child is no longer interested in the real world. Many gamers are very scattered by nature, as they are used to the fact that in case of a mistake, you can re-enter the saved game and do everything again. Alas, in real life with its laws it is not possible to “preserve”, and you have to answer for everything in full. It is very important for parents to ensure that a child's hobby does not develop into an addiction that is difficult to get rid of.
Mikhail Khetsuriani
Good day, my dear friends and readers. Here I thought that I have been running my blog for more than six months, and still have not started to write some of the planned headings. And the first one I decided to take a look at was the heading "Computer and Health". In fact, this is my omission, since the topic is very important. But I think it's not too late to fix things.
I would like to start with a rather topical topic, which concerns the mental health of a person rather than the physical one. I mean games. And this is especially the case for children and adolescents, since they are mostly susceptible to this fever. I myself was at one time in this skin, so I have something to compare.
Do you think computer games are harmful or beneficial to human health? I have read many different articles that have been written by both ordinary people and medical workers and psychologists. And today I would like to write about the harm and benefit that computer games give us, based on the opinions of various segments of the population and, of course, my own. So let's go.
Most of the games are violent actions where your goal is to kill enemies, shoot them, gut them, burn them, etc. According to some opinions, these games make children more violent and block the processes of positive thinking. Children no longer see the line between the virtual world and reality, so children can begin to behave in the same way on the street, without feeling responsible for the committed aggressive actions.
Of course, there are also useful educational games that are aimed at improving human skills (memory, reaction, logic, etc.), but is it really interesting for today's children? They want to play dismemberment games more, killing games where you can "chop" everyone right and left with impunity, even the police who try to stop you.
Of course, games have age limits, but where have you seen someone pay attention to this? Even parents do not pay attention to it. The main thing is that the child is happy and does not distract them from their activities. And they do not pay attention to the fact that the mental and physical condition of the child is under threat.
In addition to harm to the psyche, games directly affect the physical health of a person, such as hand cramps, blurred vision, a crooked back, etc. But the truth is that this is more likely not related to games, but to prolonged sitting at the computer. It's just that a person can sit in a computer game much longer than just working on the Internet.
My opinion
I am familiar with games firsthand and have played many games in my life, starting from the early 90s, when they bought me a Dendy console, and ending with an online game that I immersed myself in for 3 years. Well, I will not describe my childhood here, better some other time. Let's move on to computers. I've decided to scatter everything for good and bad.
Benefit
Harm
Known cases of harm
Now I will tell you famous cases in which people said goodbye to their health on the basis of computer games.
Clan Gathering Murder
There have been many cases of people fighting over games and even killing each other in real life. Well, of course, it was not the game itself that was to blame, but rather the in-game conflict simply grew into reality. And as a result, one of these guys hit the second so that he caused a head injury incompatible with life.
This incident took place in the familiar game Lineage 2 between members of two warring clans. At one of the meetings, they did not share something and this incident occurred. Moreover, the defendant himself was not just a school nerd, but a businessman who, for the sake of meeting the clan, specially flew from Kyiv to Moscow.
Kidney for a sword
I also can't help but mention a guy from the USA who spent days and nights playing his favorite World of Warcraft. Once he was offered to buy a powerful sword for real money, with which he could simply bend his opponents without problems.
He didn't have that kind of money and what do you think he did? He sold his kidney. Do you represent? I sold a kidney, a part of myself, for a non-existent thing! He reduced his health by an order of magnitude for this. Thank God that this will not work in our country, since we do not sell organs, and you can give a kidney only to your direct relative (mother, son, brother, etc.).
50 hours of play
The 28-year-old Korean loved games so much that he quit his job for them. One day he came to an internet cafe and started playing an online game. For 50 hours he sat at the game, crushing enemies left and right. He was only distracted by the toilet and a short 10-minute rest.
The mother was very worried about this fact and she asked her son's colleagues to find him and bring him home. They found him and wanted to bring him home, to which he replied that he would finish the game and come. In just a few minutes, he fell on the table. Heart failure. The body simply could not withstand such a load.
Conclusion
Of course, these are all critical cases. In our world, not everything is so bad yet. Of course, there are enough nerds and many people simply abuse the games, addicted to them like a drug.
But personally, I think that completely banning games is useless. This is a very good discharge. You just have to limit them a lot.
- Don't allow yourself to spend 10 hours a day doing this. An hour (maximum two) in your free time is enough and preferably not every day. Then, I believe, there will be no harm to health.
- No need to play frankly scary and bloody games. Psychics can be shaken, and some are tormented by nightmares. A couple of years ago, on the advice of a friend, I tried to play the game outlast. Guys. I played for about 40 minutes and almost, as they say, did not lay bricks. My heart was just ready to jump out of my chest. In general, I threw it on the same day.
- Not allowed to play games that are not suitable for age. Those. you should not let a 7-year-old boy play with toys where you need to chop people and kill mercilessly.
- And yet, I would completely exclude online multiplayer games, because they are the most addictive and, as a rule, all the worst cases happen precisely because of them, even if we take the cases I described earlier.
I think that if you follow these simple rules, then the mental health of you and your child will not be shaken even once, although someone may not agree with me. Please write in the comments what you think about this.
Well, for today I finish my article. I hope that you liked it and maybe even make you think about something. And you, in turn, do not forget to subscribe to my blog updates so as not to miss fresh and tasty articles. Good luck to you. Bye bye!
Sincerely, Dmitry Kostin
The first computer games were born back in the early 90s, and since then, disputes about their influence on the human psyche and behavior have not faded everywhere. In our time, when the popularity of computer games has reached incredible proportions, the question of their harm is even more relevant than before. Not only children and teenagers like to spend their leisure time playing computer games, but also quite adult people, sometimes even of a very respectable age. And if earlier caring parents were absolutely sure that the harm from computer games for their children is inevitable, today the generation that grew up on computer games casts doubt on this. And the truth is, after all, contrary to expectations, most of them did not grow up mentally retarded or maniacs, but, on the contrary, are ordinary people, in principle, no different from the rest. But does this mean that all computer games are absolutely harmless and are a wonderful form of recreation? And is there any benefit from computer games? In this article you will find answers to these questions, but first, let's talk about what games are today.
Briefly about computer games
It is worth noting that since its inception, computer games have managed to seriously evolve: game worlds have become much larger and more detailed, the plots have become more intricate, and the physics have become dozens of times more realistic than before. But the graphics in games have especially stepped forward, the videos in the latest gaming innovations can be easily confused with movie scenes.
Computer games are divided into many genres, it is they who partially determine whether a computer game will be harmless or will contribute to the development of certain negative qualities in a person who is fond of it. One of the most popular genres of computer games today is the shooter. In fact, the main goal of this game is to exterminate opponents, whether they are alien monsters, soldiers of the enemy army or other characters. Action games are also very popular. This genre is close to the shooter, but is distinguished by the predominance of the plot component. In addition, many people like to play strategy, sports and logic games. And, of course, one cannot fail to mention role-playing games, most of which have an online mode. In such games, a person is invited to fully get used to the role of his character, contacting during the gameplay with other characters.
Harm from computer games
Although the “horror stories” about the dangers of computer games that are common in our time are greatly exaggerated, we have to agree that some games do have the ability to have a negative impact on those who participate in them. In addition, even positive games can be harmful under certain conditions. So, let's look at the harm that computer games can bring.
- Deterioration of well-being. When playing computer games, a person spends quite a long time in front of the computer screen, which negatively affects the condition of the spine, blood circulation and, of course, vision. In addition, if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, sitting all day playing games, this often leads to problems with being overweight.
- Increased aggressiveness. Passion for games in which violence predominates often produces certain reactions in a person, the consequences of which can also manifest themselves outside the game. After computer shooters, in which all arising problems are quickly solved by a skillful shot at the enemy, a collision with serious difficulties in real life can cause considerable annoyance for an avid gamer. Indeed, in order to successfully solve life's problems, such qualities as patience, poise and the ability to get along with others are needed, which cruel games are unlikely to teach.
- Game addiction. Even the most harmless and simple computer game can captivate in earnest, let alone strategies and MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). There are cases when, carried away by the "pumping" of their character in the virtual game world, the players forgot about sleep and food. The main danger of gambling addiction lies in the fact that it comes unnoticed - at first, computer games for a person remain only an innocent hobby, but over time, he can no longer live without them. And then the game takes up more and more time in his life, intended for more important things.
- social isolation. Excessive passion for computer games also often leads to a deterioration in the player's relationship with other people: relatives, friends, relatives. After all, the time that used to take communication with real, living people now belongs to virtual characters from the game. In the end, a person can be left completely alone in a game world invented by someone, far from reality.
- Material damage. Some fans of online multiplayer games not only refuse to communicate with other people, have a good rest and many other joys of life for them, but even spend a considerable part of their earned money on them. Donat - that is, the purchase of in-game bonuses, items, skills, and the like for real money, sometimes seriously affects the state of the gamer's wallet.
The benefits of computer games
Despite all the above consequences, which sometimes leads to a passion for computer games, some of them can bring considerable benefits. Below is some evidence that the benefits of computer games are not a myth at all.
- Reaction improvement. Research scientists have found that games in which you need to perform certain actions in time (for example, turn a car) contribute to the development of fine motor skills and visual attention.
- Intellectual development. Some types of games, such as strategy games, teach good planning. In order to win in them, it is not enough just to press the button in time - you need to think through all the options and achieve your goals step by step. In addition, playing economic strategies, you can learn the basics of running your own business. Logic games help develop ingenuity and mathematical abilities.
- Replenishment of baggage of knowledge. A large proportion of computer games are based on real historical events. By playing such games, you can significantly deepen your knowledge of world history. Or take, for example, simple racing simulators. In some of them, the gameplay involves not only the banal steering of a car, but also the replacement of various types of body and engine parts. Thus, the player can gradually learn to understand the components of the car, find out how certain parts affect the engine performance and develop an interest in self-repairing a car.
- Removal of stress. Do not underestimate the role of computer games in such an important matter as stress relief after a hard day. When failures literally rain down, and others tirelessly cause trouble, it is important to be able to distract yourself and just relax. And immersion in the virtual world is one of the simplest and most effective ways to temporarily abstract from external problems.
conclusions
As you can see, the impact of computer games cannot be unambiguously assessed. They can bring both benefit and harm, it all depends on what games to play and how much time to devote to this activity. If treated correctly, computer games can become a source of valuable knowledge and useful skills, as well as a way to have a good time. The main thing is not to let them take up too much space in your life.
By the way, not only excessive passion for computer games causes serious concern. No less problem is the dependence on the Internet. You can learn how to deal with Internet addiction from.
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