How much of gaming is too much?

Video games have caught the fancy of children in a way few things have. A recent survey of Assocham reveals that over 82% of teenagers spend on an average 14-16 hours a week playing such games. And 7% qualified as being pathological video gamers since they played more than 20 hours a week.   

The statistics are shocking and this obsession with gaming applies as much to Ahmedabad as any other large city. Children between the ages of 8-18 play games on computer, web portal or consoles. Too much gaming increases risk of obesity and aggressive and violent behaviour.

The trend may also lead to poor social skills and insufficient time with family, for school work and hobbies. Video games can lead to school performance deteriorating due to the time spent on gaming. Gaming is taking away time that could be spent on activities that have educational benefit.

The reasons for rising addiction to video games include easy availability of resources and absence of quality parental care reveals the survey conducted under Assocham’s Social Development Foundation (SDF).

More than 2,000 children and 1,000 parents were interviewed during April to June 2011in the following cities - Ahmedabad, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Patna, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Jaipur. The sample included almost an equal number of males and females in the age group of 8-18 years.

The average 8 to 12-year-old plays 10-12 hours of video games per week, while the average 13 to 18- year-old plays 14-16 hours of video games per week.  Younger teen boys are the most likely to play games, followed by younger girls and older boys.

About 84% (ages 8 to 18) of children said that they play violent games when they’re alone and not with their parents. While 76% prefer to play action games, 45% of gamers who show signs of addiction are also more likely to have a video game system in their bedroom.

Most of the teens (80%) are boys. Female gamers spend an average of 30 minutes playing on weekdays and one hour playing on the weekends. Male gamers spend an average of 50 minutes playing on weekdays and two-three hours playing on the weekends.

Gamers who are going to school account for 72% while 28% go to college. More than half the participants said they play daily, 36% play weekly and 18% play three to four times a week.

Only 36% admitted that they have addictive behaviour and cannot control themselves when they play. However, 64% responded that online games make them feel good and de-stressed.

The survey also disclosed that more than 90% of kids between 8-14 years old go online to play games. Facebook is one of their favourite websites. The social networking games are probably a big part of their gaming habits.

Above 80% of parents say that video games are getting worse and some games connect to the internet, which can allow children and adolescents to play online with unknown adults and peers.

The survey also revealed that 23% of teenagers feel “addicted to video games”, with about one-third of males (26%) and a little more than one in ten females (11%) feeling “addicted.” On the other hand, 44% of teenagers said that their friends are addicted to games.

Parents of teens who play games are generally neutral on the effect of games on their children, with 62%  believing that games have no impact one way or the other on their offspring. While 19% of parents say that video games have a positive influence on their child, 13% say games have a negative influence on their child and 5% say gaming has some negative influence/some positive influence, but it depends on the game.

The most popular games played by teens today span a variety of genres and ratings. The five most popular are Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Madden NFL, Solitaire and Dance Dance Revolution. These games include rhythm games (Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution), puzzle/card games (Solitaire), sports games (Madden), and first-person shooter games (Halo).

“Getting highly involved with video games can become addictive and parents need to be cautious about how many hours kids play,” said Dr BK Rao, chairman of Assocham health committee. He said that time spent playing is less important than the effect that gaming is having on your child.

He added that children who are exposed to violence can become “immune” or numb due to the horror of violence, imitate the violence they see and show more aggressive behaviour. Some children accept violence as a way to handle problems. So the greater the time they play and are exposed to violence the greater the negative impact.