Problems Children Face

Topic:

In Assignment 2:  In Assignment one (1) you choose from the six (6) problems children experience daily.  For this assignment, address the same issue from an applied perspective.

What is being done to address this problem?

Is there a consensus about how to improve this problem, or is there a great deal of controversy?

What solutions have already been tried for this problem?

How successful have these solutions been?

What are the barriers to solving this problem?

What resources are available in YOUR community to deal with this problem?

Future approaches to the problem

How will this problem be addressed in the future?

How successful are these solutions likely to be?

Running Head: VIDEO GAME ADDICTION Video Game Addiction Name Professor CHFD307 September 22, 2019 VIDEO GAME ADDICTION 2 Often, addiction is always associated with drugs and abuse of other substances therefore, there is little concern when it comes to video game addiction. Video game addiction is the excessive use of computer games to an extent that it tampers with the daily routine, relationships or time management. For instance, if a child is addicted to video games, he or she would be unable to finish his/her homework or have enough sleep which will surely affect their studies Several studies have shown that video games affect men and boys more than women and girls (Fisher, 2014). This could be because men and boys are always known to be computer wizards and can access computers anywhere anytime unlike women and girls who are always considered home managers. Video game addiction is like a disorder. According to Wood (2012), the affected person tends to be sad, out of moods, lonely and stressed when they cannot access the computer game but they feel happy and contented when they are video gaming. Video gaming is a very common phenomenon all over the world. More than half of the world’s population play video games. Some take it as a hobby while others earn money through video games. For instance, in the United States of America, 67% Caucasians play computer games followed by Native Americans at a lower percentage (Griffiths, 2012). Both female and male participate in computer games to an average of thirty-five years old, but addicts dwell below twenty-four years. Video gaming continues to grow year after year due to progressive advancement in technology, making the graphics more attractive and luring in the younger generation. Video gaming is always fun than any ordinary game but it might turn out to be disastrous if the people involved cannot control their satiety. Weinstein (2012) argues that video gaming is a daily problem affecting children in the twenty-first century, unlike before whereby children use to be outdoors playing during the day nowadays due no insecurity in the neighborhood children spend all their free hours playing computer games. VIDEO GAME ADDICTION 3 Video game addiction is a neutral disorder which affects both the old and the young. Computer games have made a lot of negative impacts on the lives of the children given the fact that their development is still in the process of growth and can barely control their impulse. According to Weinstein (2010), most children believe that the virtual fantasy world exists and this is the reason why they always impersonate characters in computer games. Children addicted to computer games tend not to concentrate well in their studies because they barely put aside time to study, do their homework, and sleep enough. This is because they spend most of their time glued to computer games while paying less attention to their education. When children fail in their academic work, parents are also affected. Poor results cause parents to be depressed because they always feel that their parenthood is a failure or at stake. Generally, problems which affect children tend to put parents in the mix because most of the time when a child fails a parent takes the blame. Children addicted to video games tend to secure him or herself from the real world activities or attachment to the same because according to their mind simulation, video games completes their world. Addiction to games gives them a sense of belonging and satisfaction. There are several theories which explain video game addiction including self-determination theory and flow theory. Self-determination theory explains how an individual’s well-being and fulfillments are attained through achievement of psychological needs and desires (Han, 2011). For example, when a child is denied access to computer games their behavior changes due to unfulfilled psychological desires associated with the video game, the child will have withdrawal effects like loneliness, sadness, mood swings, and hate. The addiction blinds them into believing that computer games are the only things which can cheer them up and which makes them complete. Self-determination theory illustrates how addiction to video games lures the child into VIDEO GAME ADDICTION 4 believing that playing video games is the only way to fulfill their needs and desires which is not necessarily the truth. Similarly, flow theory is a motivational theory which is measured through having a clear objective and provide immediate results (Fisher, 2014). Flow theory is like a video game in the sense that a computer game always has a clear objective which is to win or lose and the results emerge immediately. Flow theory vividly explains the root cause of addiction in children because the more they win the more they want to play until their desire to play video game is beyond their control (Weinstein, 2010). Video game addiction in children has changed over years from mere fun to complete menace in our younger generation. In the past, computer games were just played for fun but in this era, it is money-oriented, such that it has caused many children to steal or lie to their parents so that they can get money to buy a ticket to play a game or to bet on a game. It is extremely sad to see a child who barely looks at their books but very active and energized when it comes to video gaming. Based on several pieces of research, it is evident that video game addiction is indeed a great problem among children all over the world (Wood, 2012). For instance, the world health organization classify addiction to video games as a mental health problem which needs an immediate action to save children from ruining their entire life by believing in virtual fantasy which does not even exist. Despite the fact that little has been found or discussed about video game addiction, there is a narrow difference between gambling and video games. Therefore, it is the duty for each one of us to try our best to secure children from video game addiction (Wood, 2012). Conclusively, computer games are very popular in the modern world but surprisingly it is full of controversy. People have different views pertaining to it. Some think that it adds violence VIDEO GAME ADDICTION 5 in the society because most games are violence oriented, some believe video games build the child’s mind to be sharp and outgoing. On the other hand, some believe that it is beneficial because it improves the ability to process visual information and ability to pay attention. There is no clear aspect connected directly to video game addiction, people come up with their own theories and beliefs to define it. 6 VIDEO GAME ADDICTION References Fisher, S. (2014). Identifying video game addiction in children and adolescents. Addictive Behaviors, 19(5), 545-553. Griffiths, M., J Kush, D., & L King, D. (2012). Video game addiction: Past, present and Future. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 8(4), 308-318. Han, D. H., Hwang, J. W., & Renshaw, P. F. (2011). Bupropion sustained-release treatment Decreases craving for video games and cue-induced brain activity in patients with Internet video game addiction. Weinstein, A. M. (2010). Computer and video game addiction—a comparison between game Users and non-game users. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 36(5), 268276. Wood, R. T. (2012). Problems with the concept of video game “addiction”: Some case study Examples. International journal of mental health and addiction, 6(2), 169-178.