Genesis Sanchez

Annie Yaniga

Writing 39C

23 January 24

Video Game Addiction

          Let’s say your son plays video games all day, every day. He puts his responsibilities to the side such as homework or chores so that he can play. He does not socialize much but instead stays in his room playing by himself. If he does not play, then his mood is affected and acts out. These are signs of addiction. Video game addiction among kids is not really noticed because it is common for kids to be wrapped up in their games. Video games have evolved and while it is showing us a new virtual world, it has consequences if not used responsibly. Throughout the years technological advances have led to creating the most sophisticated video games known to man but it has affected America’s future; kids. Nowadays, kids are spending way too much playing video games and the addiction has not affected not only their physical health but their social skills.

            Video games have developed into the most popular type of entertainment in the 21^st century. However, they were not always as lavish as they are now. It all started back to the 1950’s with small projects such “Tennis for Two” but it was not until the first real game got released in 1962 with a computer game called Spacewar. The creator of this game, Baer, did not plan on stopping here but instead teamed up with others so they could take it to the next level. Baer worked with Harrison in 1966 to create the “Brown Box” which was the first home video game to be played on a television set.    

               This simple brown box game led to the creation of gaming consoles and hand held gaming. These games are great and show how technology has really advanced throughout the years but people have not recognized how they have impacted young generations. It is considered normal to see a child or teen into their game 24/7 that no one sees it as a problem. Video game addiction is real even though it has not been recognized by the American Medical Association. While some kids are able to balance the amount of video games to their daily life, others lack this ability of being able to balance the amount of video games played with their everyday schedule. Now this may not seem like a problem on the surface but it has sparked a lot of interest in the study whether or not kids are suffering from addiction. “Studies estimate that 10 percent to 15 percent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organization’s criteria for addiction.”  This website is made by a treatment program so favors in helping parents with their kids’ addiction problems. They provide a lot of important information for kids who are experiencing video game addiction.

            In today’s society, modern day video games have taken over kids’ life and the symptoms of addiction is taking over their life. One of the things that affects kids is their school work. They fall behind from school work because of how much time they spend on playing games. So they could be falling asleep in class, not do their work, and their grades could get worst because of the amount of time they spend playing. It does not only affect their education but it also affects their behavior. A study by Marny Hauge and Douglas A. Gentile at Argosy University, showed that video game addiction does make students more aggressive with their peers and teacher.

In this study, they realized that kids who were addicted to games had more of an aggressive behavior than those who are not addicted. It took a toll on their attitudes and school performance, proving that video games have consequences.

            In addition to affecting kid’s academics, it also affects their physical growth. A result from the Canadian Community Health Survey, looked at the relationship between sedentary activities such as video games, and physical inactivity in teens. This study looked 7982 12-19 year olds who spent time on computers and games. Then they would answer a survey on whether they would do any type of physical activity. The study concluded that “There is a complex inter-relationship between sedentary behaviors and physical inactivity, highlighting the need for targeted interventions addressing patterns of sedentary behavior engagement.” This meaning that activities such as video games do reduce their physical activity which could lead to many problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, backaches, headaches, dry eyes, and neglecting their personal hygiene.

            Video games started off as a distraction, something that people could do in their leisure time. Except now kid’s make these video games their life where they no longer have a social life. There is always that one kid at parties or gatherings, where they are always on their tablet or portable game which gets in the way of them socializing. In a pediatrics journal, they looked at the problem that video game use could have among kids. This study took two years with kids in grade 3, 4, 7, and 8 in Singapore. Their results came out similar to that of other countries. The school as a whole suffered with low performances but most importantly each kid was affected. Their social skills decreased, depression, anxiety, and social phobias rose as a result to video games addiction.

            Some people may think that video addiction is not an issue that needs to be addressed or is that big of a problem. However, addiction is a serious problem no matter what it is you are addicted to. The physical and emotional dependence on something is addiction whether is it video games or drugs it is still addiction. In a scientific journal, they looked into “Brain activity and desire for Internet video game play.” The study was with 19 healthy male adults and had a 10-day period of playing games. Yes, this study was on addiction with adults and not kids but at the end of the day it is the same thing. If a child is addicted to video games and does not get help at a young age, then they will grow up to be addicted to video games. So this study can apply to kids because one day they will be adults and addiction does not just disappear without treatment. As these adults played, they studied their brain and saw which sides would be stimulated and would desire the need to play. They came to the conclusion that “The present findings suggest that cue-induced activation to Internet video game stimuli may be similar to that observed during cue presentation in persons with substance dependence or pathologic gambling.” Even though video game addiction is not taken seriously, it is just as serious as any addiction.

            In the past video game addiction may have not been a problem because they were barely starting and they were not as advanced as they are now. However, thanks to technological advances, video games have been able to create an alternate world for people. It is no longer just one simple game but instead it can be an adventure, a war, a world with no rules, a place where you can feed your unrealistic desires. The development of these games have led to the development of addiction and as long as these games continue to get better, then the addiction will also increase. In a couple of years there will be new video games that will be better than ever and it will feed into the addiction of kids and it will start the addiction of others.

            Video games are not all bad, because they have been helpful to many things such as treating disorders or learning but it seems like video games are being abused. Instead of having a child play a pointless game for hours, then they should switch it up and play an educational game or minimize their time on the video game. It is not a bad thing to play video games and enjoy them but it is important to do it in moderation. Kids have trouble with this because they are so young that they do not realize what is wrong or right. They do not look at the possibility of video game addiction and how it can ruin their life. This is why it is important that the adults educate themselves so that they can guide these kids. As a parent, allow your child to play after they have completed their responsibilities but make them stop once it is time. This is one way video game addiction can be stopped at a young age. It all starts with the first time you hand them a game console and how you choose to discipline your child with the game.

            To conclude, video addiction is an issue in the 21^st century and it will continue to be an issue as long as technology is advancing. Kids can suffer from health issues, social problems, behavioral problems, and fail in their education. It can take over their life and affect them in the long run as they maturing into adults. While some may not recognize this problem, it still exists and it is important to be cautious. A child does not know what is best for them, the parent or adult does and that is where you step in to avoid or help video game addiction.

Peer Review 

1)The writer gives a very clear thesis for the readers to understand the topic and the main argument. And makes the effect of video game addiction more clear may be better to catch readers' attention.(2) there is a brief summary of the problem in the introduction. (3)The paper does a good job in telling the history and the connection between past and present. (4)The paper also provides present examples to illustrate its point.(5)For the various debate in this paper, I think the writer may be need to provide a little bit more.(6)I think there is variety of multi-modal elements. The writer gives different kind of images. And the writer gives specific explanation of the images provided. (7) I think the writer choose the proper quotes and resources to support the ideas and they all cited correctly. For the quote integration, i think the paper can talk more about the consequences of the problems.(8) I think it is a good fit for the subject. (9) There are not many grammar mistakes in the paper.(10) I think the greatest strength in this paper is that the writer does a good job in making comparison about the past and the present. It gives a clear look of how people deal with the problem in the past which give suggestions to the present. 

Here my peer gives me ways I can improve my first draft by adding more information. I really had to go back and go into depth on topics I discussed. I had to  do more research on video game addiction so that I could fix my poor formatting. This essay was honestly a mess, I needed to do more research so that I could strengthen my argument.