Video games have major roles to play in the development of children. From developing their communication skills, to helping them focus and a lot of others, their importance cannot be overemphasized.
However, the impacts of video games on children become negative when some control measures are not put in place. Going through ReviewsBird.com, we found out that a lot of children learn through video games. But learning isn’t restricted to just the good things. In this article, we’d be taking you through the major effects of video games on the development of children that you have probably overlooked until now.
Negative Effects
1. Violence and Aggression:
Video games, especially the violent ones that involve a lot of shooting and killing influences children greatly – and in a negative way. It’s not unusual to find a child holding objects and pretending to shoot. Children are like towels, they absorb so much information. The sad thing is most parents are very much oblivious of these impacts. Some see them as nothing but fun. Of course, a child needs fun. But, when the fun begins to lead to a lot of aggression and violence, some scrutiny should be done.
2. Isolation And Antisocial Behavior:
For children who become addicted to video games, addiction is bound to happen. When this addiction happens, the video games would take the place of real friends and the true joy of spending quality time with loved ones devoid of any foreign distraction. Addiction to video games causes a lot of behavioral changes as well as social awkwardness even in the midst of friends or acquaintances.
Positive Effects
1. Video Games Improve Memory:
Having talked about the bad effects, we will also do justice to the good ones. Video games help improve the memory of children. Especially when they play games related to what they love to study. A child that’s enthusiastic about producing machines would surely get a memory boost just from playing games that major on construction.
2. Video Games Help Fight Identity Problems:
In Video Games, a child becomes a character. The child grows through this character and learns to identify with it throughout the course of the game. This singular act helps the child with fighting his or her own identity problems in real life. Parents could also help their children find games with similar lives to their own. This works on their self-esteem as well as helping them figure out the truths regarding who they truly are.
Final Notes
In the end, it is clear to see that there are bad and good effects of video games on a child’s development. To optimise video games for the best results, we advise that parents help their children to strike a balance between playing games and studying. Academic work and other parts of a child’s life should not suffer because the child plays games. Also, parents should do well to stop their children from violent games. Their behaviors should also be checked greatly. It is always better to make a child cry because of games than to let the child grow with a poor attitude influenced by the games.