The impact online video games make on a child’s development

The Internet has densely occupied the leading spot in the sphere of experience for young people. Parents willingly buy their children expensive smartphones. However, all of this is not as harmless as it might look, however, it is probably inevitable. Any modern smartphone can provide access to the Internet. And the era of touch-tone telephones is slowly becoming the past, despite its resistance. Also, books are becoming secondary too. There are two important aspects:

• books can be very expensive and many things can be received online for free;
• reading requires you to take a break from the Internet!

Definitely, the last aspect is the most important in the psychology of nowadays children and youth. It is necessary to control the invisible mechanism of virtual relationships, which becomes stronger and more active. Initially, it existed as an entertaining parallel option but the majority of relations started moving there gradually, like in the bottomless capacity. It determines reality, inspires it, fills it but not the opposite. Of course, this is a standalone topic about relationships between people under the influence of the Internet. Here we can stop on the analysis of the influence of online games as the easiest way to fill your spare time and to satisfy communication needs. This frequently comes forward for a child.

What is the danger? Let's find this out.

1. Dynamics

In the past, games were offline leaving a child alone with a game or near friends; online now provides an opportunity to feel yourself connected to the great community of millions of people where there are not only children, definitely. Everyone, including aging players, competes in online games. However, the percentage of children and youth is incomparably higher. The feeling that a person is connected to the fabulous imaginary world, in which many people take part, provides a strong dynamic effect and pleasure. It is worth to note the harmful impact of such dynamics:

• reading books becomes a boring and colorless alternative;
• imagination drains away, exhausts because it is fully replaced by the finished world;
• usual games do not provide such pleasure because they are not that bright and unusual.

2. The reality of the virtual world

Due to the above-mentioned factor, a child with all his alive imagination immerses in the game with pleasure. It would be strange if not because he can play with a limited number of children in the yard and he has a large company here, which is ready to play all day long. And his mother will not call home.

3. Games build useless skills

Some may say that online games are useful for children in some terms, that they build communication skills, make children think, get into the process and aspects of the game. However, all these «useful» qualities can be used only in that virtual world. A child can receive a particular status there, become a respected person, teach others how to boost one hero or another.

4. The conflict with reality is growing

The reality ignores the fact that a child has «achieved» something in an online video game. This can create a mental issue because the virtual world has become equal to the real one for a person. The result is that a child becomes more and more immersed in the world where he has already had a particular «status» and has been important.

5. Intellectual and emotional spheres get drained

Hours of sitting in front of a computer, laptop, or smartphone fix these human abilities within certain limits, which form the distorted type of personality. A child loses socialization, he gains misconceptions about the world around.

6. Clans

Such a phenomenon as «clans» should be described separately. It is a group of players, which are united to take part in special events, which are called «clan wars». Clans have their own hierarchy and subordination.

A clan is the most dangerous type of сhild immersion in a game. Clan matches are hosted regularly, a few times a day, and clan leaders mainly ask for mandatory participation. Previously, it depended only on a child whether he takes part in the gaming process or not but now, he has to obey a strict schedule. And he must obey if he has found friends, with whom he does not want to end the relationship, in the clan (there are in-game clan chats). As a result, here comes the biggest immersion in the gaming process and it almost fully imitates reality. Leaving a clan is like leaving a good company where you are awaited, where you are needed.

So, summing up, it is impossible to find a single advantage of a child playing online games. The gaming addiction can lead to hard forms, which impact the psyche and further development. Many people get rid of this state for years, so the best decision will be to follow that your child does not play them or play minimally and avoid participating in «clans».

The article was prepared with the help of the editors of EGamersWorld