Videogames: Harmless Fun or Harmful Technology?
Videogames: Harmless Fun or Harmful Technology? In today’s world, technology is ever becoming the main heartbeat of our everyday lives. From the alarms on our phones that wake us up in the morning, to the electronic GPS in our cars that gets us to our destinations, to the televisions we watch to distress after a hard day’s work, we are surrounded by electronic devices that aid us in both work and recreation. In my personal life, I am just as dependent on modern technology as the next person, and I am quickly noticing the effects this technology is having on my children. Rarely does a day go by when my children don’t ask to play on the computer, the PlayStation, or my smartphone. Video-gaming has become such an integral part of their play time that a night without electronics leads to them complaining of being bored or having nothing to do even though their rooms are stuffed full of every toy imaginable. A majority of their disputes arise from determining who gets to play PlayStation first and what game they are going to play when they are told to play together. My children were once creative in their free time, creating huge worlds with Legos and Hot Wheels or drawing imaginative and unique pictures with paper and crayons. However, since the invasion of the PlayStation in our lives, they have lost their drive to play imaginatively and creatively. This habitual game time that my children are currently experiencing has lead me to question what effects these videogames are having on my children. The topic of videogames and the effects on children has been hotly debated since video-gaming became a mainstream source of entertainment. Analysts, psychiatrists, and behaviorists have been debating the positives and negatives of playing videogames and what the long term effects are from videogame exposure. This leads me to my question: What are the effects of modern videogames on young children’s emotional, mental, and behavioral development and does playing videogames
Cited: Floyd, Ronald T. "Are We Losing the Ability to Think Abstractly?" Journal of Advancing Technology (2008): 29-31. Web. 20 October 2013. Gentile, Douglas A., et al. "The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressive Behaviors, and School Performance." Journal of Adolescence 27 (2004): 5-22. Web. 17 October 2013. Misfud, L. Charles, Rosalind Vella and Liberato Camilleri. "Attitudes Towards and Effects of the Use of Video Games in Classroom Learning with Specific Reference to Literacy Attainment." Reasearch in Education Issue 90 (2013): 32-35. Web. 18 October 2013. University of California - Los Angeles. "Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking And Analysis?" 29 January 2009. Science Daily. Web. 21 October 2013.