Why I Trust The Studies Showing That Video Games Do Not Affect Children Negatively
I always had a suspicion that my hobby wasn’t bad for me, and various studies have now suggested I was right.
Pic: Unsplash Creative Commons / Ciaran O’Brien
I am a big fan of video games, but my parents always criticise me for playing them. However, I always believed they were beneficial to me. Allow me to explain further…
“Nope, from Oxford”
Back in 2014, The Huffington Post proclaimed that video gaming doesn’t destroy children like a drug, but instead makes them more sociable and “better adjusted.” Although long periods of gaming repeatedly wouldn’t have these effects, short daily periods do. For example, an hour a day would be perfect, or even two, maybe. Extended sessions, however, are out of the question.
There isn’t enough research yet
Tests being carried out by some are unreliable, as the research is unverified. Not only that, most media coverage and articles are negative and very anti-video-games. This article, on the other hand, is pro-video-games for a change.
There are some negatives
I will acknowledge that there are studies showing that there is a link ‘to deviancy’ and poorer GCSE grades for children who spend most of their free time playing video games. This is because of the increase in violent video games available to young people. Games like Grand Theft Auto involve the characters killing police officers and stealing expensive cars, for example.
But there are positives also
I believe that some video games have flaws, but do not always link to deviancy and anti-social behaviours. In fact, sometimes it is quite the opposite as video games teach children what is a crime, and does and don’ts.
Instead of blaming the video games for their child’s anti-social behaviour, parents might instead want to consider that they don’t give their children enough attention, care and support.
Think about it.