Some people regard video games as harmless fun, or even as a useful educational tool.
Others, however, believe that videos games are having an adverse effect on the people
who play them. In your opinion, do the drawbacks of video games outweigh the benefits?
Many people, and children in particular, enjoy
playing computer games. While I accept that these
games can sometimes have a positive effect on the user, I
believe that they are more likely to
have a harmful impact.
On the one hand, video games can be both
entertaining and educational. Users, or gamers, are
transported into virtual worlds which are often more
exciting and engaging than real-life
pastimes. From an educational perspective, these games
encourage imagination and creativity,
as well as concentration, logical thinking and problem
solving, all of which are useful skills
outside the gaming context. Furthermore, it has been
shown that computer simulation games
can improve users’ motor skills and help to prepare them
for real-world tasks, such as flying a plane.
However, I would argue that these benefits are
outweighed by the drawbacks. Gaming can be
highly addictive because users are constantly given scores,
new targets and frequent rewards to
keep them playing. Many children now spend hours each
day trying to progress through the
levels of a game or to get a higher score than their friends.
This type of addiction can have effects
ranging from lack of sleep to problems at school, when
homework is sacrificed for a few more
hours on the computer or console. The rise in obesity in
recent years has also been linked in part
to the sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise that often
accompany gaming addiction.
In conclusion, it seems to me that the potential
dangers of video games are more significant than
the possible benefits.