I had a question that has always made me curious, and my question is, are video games acceptable for kids or are they just inappropriate for kids? Some may say that video games can ruin a kids mind and the actions of a child may reflect on the game they are playing, But there are some games that have good intentions for the children. For example, I play Grand Theft Auto 5 which is a mature game that children shouldn’t play. I play it because its just a cool video game in my opinion and I think nothing of it, but other younger children will start using the same bad profanity that is used in the games or think that the actions in the game is acceptable to do in real life. Beyond simply being a fun activity, playing video games can provide other benefits to kids as well. Many games encourage problem solving, working memory, and information processing skills. Others, such as action games, foster hand eye coordination, which can potentially translate to the real world, as well. Video games can also serve as creative outlets and allow kids to explore their identities and interests in a virtual space free from judgment or discrimination. Also, video games can foster social connections similar to social media, which has become increasingly important during the COVID pandemic. But then there’s the bad side of video games. One of parent’s biggest concerns with video games relates to violence and for a bad reasons Recent studies have shown that long-term exposure to violent video games can contribute to aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents. As with social media, video games can also open up avenues for cyberbullying, which can hugely impact the mental health of children and adolescents. Playing video games can also be quite addictive, which can lead to social isolation and poor physical health. In addition, playing video games contributes to higher amounts of daily screen time and, if played at night, can lead to significant sleep disturbances. This is a great question to ask because some people think video games are taking these kids childhood away, because they always want to play and not socialize or enjoy their surroundings, But then people also think it’s okay because the kids are socializing playing video games or playing educational games that they can learn from. I think that video games for children is also a half and half for me because there’s games like football or basketball that you can enjoy playing any age, but then it won’t be really appropriate for children playing online games with other adults. This is why I question, Is video games good for children or no?
