Are computer games actually harmful to youth? Essay

Are computer games actually harmful to youth?
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 Children’s brains adapt to change faster they learn new things, cut adults are less receptive to changing their way of thinking, and exposure to video games which can lead to addiction  and at times aggressive behavior among the youth. Researchers have focused on whether there is addiction by looking at whether there is excessive use, withdrawal, tolerance and negative consequences.   Tolerance is the compulsive reaction to anxiety of not playing the computer games, and the negative consequences include social isolation and neglecting daily activities (Griffiths, 1998). Most adolescents who play computer video games do not suffer video game addiction or show violent tendencies, but there is still risk of excessive use.  Computer games are harmful to adolescents to the extent that there is addiction and higher risk of engaging in violence or overly aggressive behavior, but the proportion of those who are addicted or and prone to violence is small, while many are part of the gaming community who may play interactive games
  Increasingly, researchers do not focus on the frequency measures when studying the impact of computer games, and choose to categorize dependency or addiction as a negative consequence among computer game players (Colwell & Payne, 2000).  Sometimes, the researchers have different ideas on what is excessive or addictive opening on the time playing the games.   The gamers who play interactive games may be part of an online community together with fellow gamers, indicating that the computer games are not necessarily a bad thing.   However,  when computer gaming is excessive the players may sacrifice their hobbies and  socializing, especially when there is no real life relationships, and this may occur regardless of whether there is addiction (Griffiths, 1998).
Males tend to spend more time playing compared to females, and the self-esteem levels differ  based on gender research has shown that there is  a negative correlation been self-esteem and computer games among adolescents (Colwell & Payne, 2000). Computers are highly gendered and considered masculine activities where the majority of players are young males. However, this does not necessarily mean that computer video game playing causes low self-esteem in adolescents, since those with low self-esteem may be drawn to the gaming community more often than other adolescents (Willoughby, 2008). Nonetheless, adolescents also forge electronic friendships and are not necessarily isolated as is the case with players who spend too much time playing and ignore other activities and human interaction.Problems are likely to arise among the most frequent computer players, but not to the majority of them. Games are interactive, provide clear feedback and can invade people’s daily, lives, and the challenge is to ensure that competitiveness is kept in check (Schell, 2010). There are both positive and negative consequences of playing games, and depend on the game, the individual players and whether there is overindulgence. Adolescent players who simply seek pleasure are more likely to acknowledge the difference be...