Dealing with the Video Game Addiction in Kids

In this post, we will be discussing how you can deal with the video game addiction in kids. In today’s world playing a computer-based game is not as rare as it used to be in the previous decades. With mobile phones being available to most kids in the world, video games have become a very common obsession with kids nowadays.

Although from one point of view it is very nice to see that kids of this generation are really smart that they know how to operate gadgets better than us but the extreme use of the technology has its own disadvantages. Video games have a special addictive quality that it becomes inevitable for a person to get obsessed with their favorite games.

These days it is very usual for us to read the news that often tells us about the adverse effects that games are having on the brain development of kids and it is very obvious for the parents to get worried about their child when they see them spending a lot of time playing video games. But is it really a matter of concern? What makes video games so addictive? What can you do to help your kids? We will try to answer all these questions in this post one by one.

What Makes Video Games so Addictive?

The most important factor that makes video games so addictive is the virtual environment that it provides to people. This is the reason why the games that simulate the real world scenarios are most popular. These games give a person an opportunity to escape from the reality and thus it provides people a break from their problems.

Another reason why the games are addictive is that it kills the boredom by helping one to pass their time during their idle hours. The games that have been most successful in the history had a common quality about them which is “roleplay”. People find it extremely interesting to play as a new character in a virtual world, one such good example is the recent sensation known as PUBG(Player’s Unknown Battle Ground).

The competition, thrill, and sense of accomplishment that one strives for in real life can be derived by playing these games. Apart from this, one also gets to make use of their mind in problem-solving in order to make progress in the game.

One very important quality about games is that they are emotionally safe because one does not have to prove themselves to other people while playing games and this freedom gives a kind of satisfaction to people. Children who are very afraid of facing social situations are especially inclined towards video games.

How Video Games Affect Children?

The impact that these games have on kids is not always negative, there are some very good advantages if video games are used properly. The virtual environment provided by the video games helps kids to practice their skills and hone it for real-life scenarios. There are also a lot of educational games available today which can be used by kids to learn various skills.

These games can also be helpful to improve the hand-eye coordination in kids. The chat features that are now incorporated by internet-based games allow children to meet like-minded people from all around the world. Research has shown that video games in moderation can help kids with ADHD.

Although we have enlisted these positive effects of playing video games one must always remember that the extreme indulgence in these games can have adverse effects. Kids who spend a lot of hours playing video games become very lazy and careless. The effect that such games have on the mind of kids can make them less social and more aggressive. Video games can also make kids less attentive in their real life due to which they may fail to perform well in their academics.

Dealing with the Kids Addicted to Video Games

1 – Availability

It is very obvious that the more the kids find their favorite games available the more they will be playing it. Some parents make a mistake of providing their kids with a video game console and mobile phones without their supervision. If you will install a video game console in their room then they will play the games without considering the time.

You should control the amount of time they are going to spend in front of a video game console or any other device by making it available to them in moderation.

2 – Schedule

Fixing the schedule is very important to discipline your child, they should learn when to play video games and when to stop on their own. By making them follow the schedule regularly you will naturally train their mind to not get too much engaged with video games.

3 – Strict Rules

We are not advising you to be too hard on your kids but being strict with the rules is an important part of disciplining your child. You should not allow your child to play video games by skipping their day to day activities and other responsibilities. Being a little lenient with the rules can lead your child to become disobedient.

Children should be taught the self-control so that they can be regular with their meals, home works, and other important activities.

4 – Spending Time with Them

If you will spend your time with your child it will become easy for you to make them listen to you and keep an eye on their activities. You can even prefer to accompany them in playing video games, it will not only make them feel good that you are participating in something that they like to do but it will also give you the control over the time that the kids spend on playing video games.

5 – Encourage Outdoor Games

One of the worst effects that video games are having on this generation is that kids are not spending much time on the outdoor games which are a very important part of their childhood. Since video games do not provide any kind of body movements it is important that your child should take interest in outdoor sports.

Also, the essential life skills that outdoor games teaches kids cannot be learned with the help of video games.

6 – Socialization

Children get too obsessed with video games because they are not having a lot of friends, this can be due to their inability to socialize. Sitting at home and playing video games might be convenient for your child but it will greatly affect the self-esteem of your children and they will find it difficult to face the world in the future. You can help your child to make new friends and to be comfortable around others by taking them to places where they will get to meet other kids of their age.

You can encourage them to learn a new skill that they are interested in like skating, swimming, singing, dancing, cycling, etc which will not only engage their mind in something that is good for them but will also help them to mingle with other kids.

Here’s a nice Youtube video on this subject for you:-

 

At last, we would like to say that it is perfectly alright if your child is playing video games for 10-12 hours in a week but you should definitely do something if they are getting addicted, hope these methods will help you with this. We recommend you to try “K5 Star Games” which provides some very good online educational games for kids that will engage them in their favorite activity while teaching them some very important lessons.

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