Many people are worried about video games and their effects on children. The concern is associated with their mental state and a decrease in learning. Children play video games very often and this cannot bypass without consequences. There are many proofs that they negatively affect schoolers and their results at school. However, is the sky all that dark or there is some chance to see the sun? Let’s review this issue from two opposite viewpoints.

Negative Aspects

Most negative consequences of video games are associated with psychological issues.

• Sleep Deprivation. Many kids experience troubles with their sleep. Their sleep regimes get violated because they constantly play video games on their PCs, laptops, or smartphones. They don’t feel any tiredness or hunger while they are fully involved in the process of gaming. Even when they get into their beds, they dream about how to continue their favorite activity. As they don’t sleep enough, they get tired too quickly and frequently. Therefore, they don’t have time to manage their homework tasks. Schoolers violate deadlines and cannot plan their day properly.
• Illusion of Socialization. Some people claim that computer gaming improves social ties between gamers. There are multiple online games when many players can join and so, communicate with others. Nevertheless, it’s not real communication and many children forget how it works in reality. When they attend their classes, they aren’t able to socialize with their peers and teachers. If they don’t put questions about their educational aims, how can they succeed?
• Inability to Concentrate. Video games are full of distractions. Gamers suffer from a powerful impact on their brain, which is frequently disturbed. As a result, they aren’t able to retain focus and concentrate on a certain task properly. The tasks that took only an hour to be dealt with, requires a couple of hours and longer. Besides, students become inattentive and have some troubles with memory. If you experience such difficulties, want to boost your skills and enlarge knowledge, you may also use professional academic writing help online. If you get in touch with a quality essay writing service, you will overcome different difficulties. Such a service can help students in the fastest and most advantageous ways.
• A Link to Aggression. Many parents are afraid that violence in computer games promotes violence in their children. One study, carried out by Escobar-Chaves and Anderson, focused on this possibility. The study was compared to the negative effects of drug intake, which makes people aggressive. The study failed to find a clear link to increased aggression. In the meanwhile, playing video games is “related” to some deviations in behavior. It may be one of the triggers that work behind the scenes. While children play violent games, they become aggressive. After the gaming process is over, the symptoms withdraw. Nevertheless, it has some negativism that may be provoked in combination with some other triggers.
• Possible Addiction. Video games are addictive. Is this claim true? Many people compare drug addiction and gaming addiction. In fact, many parents reported that their children can be torn away from their games. They go to bed too late and don’t sleep at all. It was proved by the National Children’s Bureau study. Though it focused on the dependence on social media, it found a few trails to game addiction. However, there was to direct link. Games certainly shape children’s interests and negatively affect their progress. Other hobbies and school activities don’t interest them anymore. Thus, Denison University in Ohio conducted its research. 64 children were selected for this experiment. Half of the children were given computer games and they weren’t restricted in time. The second half was allowed to play games only after they managed their home assignments. The results showed that the first group didn’t have any decrease in results. In the meanwhile, there was no improvement in results either. The second group showed real progress. This evidence helped to draw logical conclusions. People may get addicted to computer games and thus, don’t progress at school.

Positive Aspects

It’s also vital to recognize and confess that video games can have positive effects.

• Improvement of Critical Thinking. As gamers have to complete various complex missions, they have to think quickly and logically. It positively reflects on how they tackle their assignments. The solutions come faster and easier.
• Stress Relief. Children feel better when they play favorite games. Their mood improves; they are happy; they are eager to face their academic challenges too. Many kids will fulfill various tasks just to receive permission to play a few hours.
• Development of Technical Skills. Kids interested in games get interested in how things function. They gain some basic technology skills and comprehend information faster than other children. Besides, they hone reasoning, spontaneous thinking, memory, and so on. At times, they show better results than some adults.
• Individual Boost. Educational computer games boost cognitive functions and facilitate individual learning. Using such games, educators may identify the strongest sides of schoolers. Thus, they can plan their programs in accordance with children talents.

It’s a dubious issue. There are proofs for the advantages and disadvantages of gaming. We believe that if the games are limited in time and in certain genres, they play an important role for children. There are many skill-developing games, which enlarge children’s knowledge and improve cognition. They should be allowed.

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