It was a sunny afternoon when i heard a loud cry from some kids who played in our neighbourhood and we all rushed out to see what was happening. Apparently one of the kids had created a replica of the famous god of war weapon : consisting of a chain and a sharp metal attached to its end and they kept on attacking each other with it. This now made me wonder on how this common video games affect their behavior.

What are Video Games?

According to Wikipedia,

A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device such as a TV screen or computer monitor.

Its known for their Vibrant colors and graphics and great sound effects. It has been around for over 30 years and this days, the games have become so sophisticated that one needs to play constant attention to it. Due to its demanding nature, it requires players to focus on it both physically and emotionally than watching a movie or a tv series.

Video games can be classified based on two main types. There is the Standard single player games meant to be played by a single player and it entails a mission or a goal such as beating the boss or making a high score. The other type of game is the Online multiplayer games which is usually played over the internet with other players and this type is very addictive as it is endless.

Video games have a very addictive nature and it poses as a problem to many people, although it hasnt being recognised as a diagnosable disorder by the American Medical Association. According to the University of Mexico, recent studies have shown that 10 to 15 percent of gamers has shown characteristics that could be classified as addiction.

Source: Pixabay CC0 Creative Commons

Do Video Games have effect on children's behavior?

Video gaming is now an increasing popular activity in our today society and its played mostly for recreation and fun. The demand and sales of the games are increasing exponentially and the gaming industry grosses nearly over $12bn annually. This approved form of media has both positive and negative effects on the children of this days.

According to the scientist Marc Paleus, he published in his research, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, that video games not only changes how the brain works, but also its structure.

When a child is permitted to play video games, due to its complex and strategic nature, it gives the child's brain a workout. He gets to learn mental skills that are not being taught in middle school.
A summary of most of the mental skills he learns includes

a) Quick thinking and making of fast decisions as his mind comes up with numerous ways of solving problems in a short amount of time.
b) Problem tackling and fast reasoning especially due to playing action and strategy game and they prime the mind to make fast decisions.
c) Ability to multitask as the mind is being made to adapt to numerous variables.
d) His motor skills are being perfected and his hand to eye coordination as he plays from a controller and its reflected on the screen.
e) Ability to strategize and detailed accuracy as the gamer deals with a final goal in mind.
and many more mental skills.
It also allows bonding of children as they play video games against each other and they end up having fun.

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author by Gamesingear CC by -3.0

When we talk about the detrimental effects of the video games, its so alarming that most parents ban their kids from playing video games at all. Many studies have proven that aggresive behavior in children is as a result of video games with violent content and the amount of time children dedicate to these games.

Some of the detrimental effects include
a) aggresive thoughts, feelings and behavior due to violent content
b) Excessive gaming can cause children to isolate themselves from the world, making them depressed as they dedicate most of their entire time to the game
c) some games can make children confuse fantasy and reality in online gaming as they make friends online and become socially withrawn.
d) Video games can affect a kid's performance in school negatively especially in addictive cases.
e) it can have effect on a child health e.g. obesity, seizures due to flashing video content and neuromuscular diseases.
f) attention issues where they lose interest in major things in life.
g) Addiction causing erratic thoughts when the game is absent or no internet connection.
h) Learning of bad,abusive and foul launguage from online gaming community.

Management of the Video Game menace in a child's life.

Removing the video game from a child life is very difficult but it can be managed and this regulations will aid to reduce its negative effects on your child and they include.

a) Monitoring of the type of games the child plays, by the use of the ESRB ratings of the game. If it has adult or violent content, he should not be allowed to play it.
b) Putting a limit to the time and how frequently the child plays the video game to reduce the scourge of addiction.
c) Do not install a gaming console in the child bedroom to reduce accessibility.
d) Management of the child internet use and online gaming.
e) Have time to discuss with the child on how they feel about the video game they are playing and getting to spend more time with them. Create a good rapport and bond with them, it even helps if the parents plays the video games with the kids.

References
Video Game
The impact of Video games
25+ Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games
Do violent video games influence children's behavioural problems?
Do Video Games Inspire Violent Behavior?