The Advent Of Online Gaming
“The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Side of Online gaming. What should Parents do?”
Online gaming or Video games have undoubtedly become a typical pursuit of millennials. It has become a Global Phenomenon that consists of different gadgets, video games, mobile platforms, and other services that support its existence. In recent years, their popularity has exploded with an increased use of the internet.
Statistics reveal a major chunk of online gamers are adolescents mostly below the age of 24. In India, 59% of the gamers are below the age of 24.
Over the past few years, the digital world has witnessed a surge in the number of mobile gamers, and the predicted figure is close to three billion by 2021. Easy access to online games makes it a swaying factor. The recently witnessed lockdown is a great example that seemed to encourage the use of online games.
Online games are intrinsically addictive, their dynamic nature and ever-challenging environment irresistibly compel the player to engage in continuous loops until they accomplish a certain level. Anyone can play online games at their modern convenience, which further explains why these games are so addictive.
Millennials participate more in online games, thus exposing themselves to the grave repercussions that are associated with online games.
Constant exposure to electronic screens cause a severe affect on eyesight. Several studies have convincingly demonstrated the negative relation between depression, anxiety, and video games. Some Online games are competitive by virtue and encourages pressure on a child to outperform their peers and stress associated with being stuck on a level for too long, causing severe psychic-entropy.
However, online games have adequately provided an ideal platform for players to generate a profession out of gaming. They either compete against each other in dedicated tournaments to win cash prizes or live stream their games on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, etc, thus building an audience. The platforms pay according to the view count or subscriber count received. They are also open to donations. Establishing a significant following opens up a plethora of options for them to monetise their gaming skills by brands sponsoring their live streams or launching their game stream clothing.
Nevertheless, parents play a crucial role in supervising their children.
Parents should be aware of the risk factors of online games. Transparency between the child and the parent is a must to prevent the child from indulging in unethical or dangerous games. Parents should allot screen time for children to limit their use. Parents should also actively take part in discovering new activities for their child that better intrigues them than online games.
All points duly considered , we can surely conclude to say online games sometimes are good group activities that should be played once in a while, getting habitual to online will pose as a threat to optimal health.
Written by- Pratham Chawla