by Max Teslya

Created on: November 19, 2010

Ever since video game consuls were first invented, they have been a big hit for all ages. Kids spent their rainy afternoons indoors playing some cute puzzle or racing game. But now, here in the 21st century, the gaming is no longer ‘cute’. Kids of all ages are affected by games. Be it negative influence, addiction, or your own health, video games are destroying lives everyday.

Influence

It has been proved that what a person sees and is exposed to can influence the way they think. Video games are no different. If a kid is exposed to video games for periods of time, he will slowly morph into the type of video game he plays. For example, if a young child grows up playing a simple racing game, he will be a good kid with a fast-paced mind and might have an interest in cars. But if someone grew up playing many mobster games, they would slowly be influenced into a criminal and act like the character in the game. So stay above the influence and watch out for the type of games you play.

Addiction

Games are fun. Kids love to stay indoors and play some video games for entertainment. But the amount of time the average teen spends on video games seems to be way too high. On Facebook, there have been posts by people who spent most of their evenings playing games. There have also been stories of kids skipping school just to have more time on games. All of these actions lead to only one conclusion – addiction. Kids are getting so addicted that they don’t even care about schoolwork. They then start to be skeptical when their grades start to plummet with missing homework and absents. Addiction is major danger in video games.

Health

Many people don’t realize this, but video games can hurt both your physical and mental health. As kids spend more time in front of a big flashing screen they are killing their eyes. Gamers don’t realize this because as it gets harder to see the screen, they keep moving closer to it. But they notice a change when the try to read the board in school and suddenly notice that they can’t see it. Also, the more time a gamer is playing video games, the less time he is spending exercising. Their bodies start to weaken and it’s no wonder they don’t go outside with friends anymore. Also, it is believed that gaming fries your brain cells. Some think that gamers aren’t as smart as their peers for they spend too much time in front of the screen and not enough studying. Protect yourself, go outside and have some old fashion fun.

Be it either bad influence, addiction, or your health, or even all three, video games are not as good as you might think. If you love to play video games, learn to limit yourself. Set yourself a time restraint and when it’s over go outside and breathe some fresh air. That’s the way to live a better life. 

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