Children and Video Games - Essay Example

American Should Be More Aware of How Much Time Children Play Video Games In recent times, children all over the world are becoming engaged in video games in most of their free time. In early years, children were most of the times engaged in physical games. Back then, children would gather to participate in physical games at designated places. This would be a more social way of playing as the children were social and engaged in lengthy talks about various issues that were affecting their lives. This was a practical way of playing as children enhanced their physique and improved their socializing skills. However, in these days, children prefer to stay in front of a screen and engage in video games (Vorderer and Bryant 11). Children are so much engaged in these games until they have no time left for other issues. For instance, children consider doing their homework hurriedly to slot more time for playing video games. Therefore, parents have to be vigilant in this regard. There are various factors that should be considered in ensuring they are providing an environment that is conducive to the betterment of their children. First, video games take a lot of time in a child’s life. A child will take an arguably long time before getting to the next level. The video games require an enhanced thinking capacity to get a better performance. Therefore, video games are a way of improving a child’s thinking capacity (Valkenburg 10). However, the time spent on the video games should be limited. Parents should be aware that their children can take a better part of the day playing the video games. As such, they will have little time to concentrate on some issues which are also considered vital. For instance, there are cases where children do not prepare their food since they are concentrating on video games. As such, children are likely to prepare food quickly. This is a negative approach to food preparation, which could affect their health. Apparently, this is an issue that will not emerge in the short run. However, in the long run, the parents will consider this as a menace to the health of their children. In most cases, children make this a routine. In the end, they might develop health conditions that will need a substantial amount of money for treatment. Therefore, parents should be vigilant on this particular issue since it could be detrimental to the health of their children. It is in the best interests of the parents to ensure the children have limited time in playing video games. This will be a prudent approach in ensuring the children are not adversely affected by the video games. However, neglecting such an approach could be detrimental to both the children and their parents. Video games are practically indoor games. The children have to gather in a room and start to play. This clears out any instance where the children will participate in outdoor games. This reduces the physical contact with other children. As such, their physical muscles are not enhanced. This acts negatively towards a growing child. Apparently, children need to exercise frequently and run during outdoor games. This clears out any chances of fat concentration in the body. According to research, obese children in the United States have increased in numbers. This is an issue that has been affecting many families in the United States. When in physical play, children burn out excessive fat in their bodies. This reduces the chances of becoming obese as the children are frequently engaged in activities that burn out excessive fat in their bodies. This goes to greater heights in reducing other conditions that are brought by excessive fat deposits in the body. For instance, the children will have reduced the risks of getting heart diseases. On the other hand, children that engage in video games rarely run and make physical contacts while playing (Vorderer and Bryant 14). This increases the chances of having fat deposits in the body as they are not burned out. Therefore, the children will continue to have fat deposits in their body, which is a threat to a healthy living. Therefore, they will have increased chances of developing health conditions, which include obesity and other related issues. Since the inception of video games in the world, the number of obese children has been increasing as opposed to the previous years. This states a reason why parents should be particularly concerned with the amount of time their children spend on playing video games. In ensuring the situation is under control, the parents should slot limited time for their children to play video games (Vorderer and Bryant 23). This is strongly advised since the children do not have the right mind set to limit the time they use in playing video games. Some video games engage violence in fighting to achieve the next level. The children have to fight in these games to make sure they make it to the next level. Though some do not make it to the next level, they keep fighting to achieve the desired performance. In actual sense, the children fight in their mind when playing the video games. They fight for protection and at times, they fight to defeat the enemy. The fights in most times involve crude weapons while others engage rifles. However, some games involve physical fighting where children use fists and kicks to defeat their enemy. This is a continuous process that the children engage in while fighting. Apparently, the children engage in these games for a while, and they will continue to use violence in fighting. According to recent research done in the United States of America, children who play video games show violent behavior and at times exhibit aggressiveness towards their peers. As such, the children will continue to expose violent behavior and aggressiveness in their daily life (Gentile 17). This will affect their growth as they are likely to show such behaviors even in class. Therefore, parents have to consider this situation which their children are exposed to while playing games. As a matter of fact, children who play video games find it difficult to approach a practical situation with a notion different from the approach they use while playing games. Therefore, it is almost inevitable to change a child that shows aggressiveness and violence while playing. It is therefore the work of parents to ensure they control their children in relation to video games. Parents should limit the time used in playing games and should also make a better choice in regards to the games their children play. Works Cited Gentile, A. Douglas. Media Violence and Children: A Complete Guide for Parents and Professionals. New York, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. Valkenburg, M. Patti. Children's Responses to the Screen: A Media Psychological Approach. New York, Routledge, 2004. Print. Vorderer, Peter, and Jennings Bryant. Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses, and Consequences. New York, Routledge, 2006. Print. Read More