Today I am going to be discussing why video games are affecting us in a negative way. I want to discuss this topic as it is something I feel very passionate about, as I feel I spend too much time on video games and believe this is the case for many people. There are many arguments about whether video games are good or bad and I will discuss negatives of video games in this speech. How many hours do you spend on video games? From the research I have conducted I have found that Video gamers spend around eight hours and 27 minutes each week playing games, which is an increase of 14% over 2020, according to a new worldwide survey. This is absolutely absurd, ludicrous and shocking. The fact that people spend this much time on game consoles has shocked me and is one of the very few reasons why I have chosen this topic.
From the research I have conducted, there are many debates regarding whether videos are good or bad, however many of the debates suggest that video games are not good for us. One of these arguments is that video games are negative for us because people spend large amounts of time on social media, without breaks, which means that they are not spending time outside doing physical activity and also meaning that they are isolated. As you can imagine, not enough time outside can lead to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. Furthermore, not being exposed to sunlight can bring down your mood and eventually, even soften your bones. Therefore, endless hours on video games are bad. However, a small number of hours on video games is not a bad thing. Balance is very important when playing video games.
Even though balancing video games may potentially be acceptable, the more a person uses video games the more addicted they become. This is known as gaming addiction. This can slow down brain growth. This is a massive negative of gaming because there are many outcomes like: wrist, neck and elbow pain, skin blisters, and sleep disorders. Long-term addiction could lead to obesity, weakness or numbness in the hands and even blood clots. This therefore shows that video games have many more negatives than positives.
We all know that video games can lead you to getting lost for hours in a game but this also means that people are often forgetting to eat or are snacking on unhealthy food. I am speaking from personal experience, as sometimes I am very invested in a game, I forget to eat. This then is not a surprise that there is an increase in obesity and malnutrition risk factors. This can be very detrimental to a person as when a person does not get the right foods, they will have many problems, such as not being able to focus properly or suffer from dizziness.
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Gaming addiction also negatively affects eyesight and also results in Insomnia. This shows how bad video games are. Research has also shown that 30% of people who are addicted to consoles have blurry eyesight, therefore gaming also affects eyesight. Furthermore, Insomnia is another side effect of gaming addiction and is negative because it could ruin your sleep schedule and also it will lead you to become more aggressive. As a teenager myself, I know that a strict sleeping schedule is so important for school, therefore when a person does not get enough sleep, they’re day to day activities will be affected and they may not be as successful in their school work for example. This therefore shows that video games have many more negatives than positives.
Another negative of gaming is that it causes mental health problems. Gaming is associated with a disorder which is called ‘maladaptive coping’, which means that someone tends to stress quicker. When someone is in stress, they are most likely to self-harm, binge eat and substance abuse. The more stress a person gets, the more they develop mental health problems. For example, research shows that playing video games can make depression worse. Those who are addicted to video games are twice as likely to be depressed as those who do not play games. This shows that as well as gaming affecting people's physical health, it also affects mental health. Therefore, the negatives to gaming are endless.
Finally, gaming also leads to increased violence. How many of you have heard of the game GTA 5? How many of you have played the game GTA 5? This is a game, which is rated 18, however many people disregard this number and play the game anyway. Statistics show that 65% of gamers who are under 18 have played this game. People ignore age restrictions and play anyways, which is very harmful. This game is full of violence and after playing such games, people want to live a lifestyle as such and engage in the same activities. These games glamorize the life of criminals.
Therefore, throughout this speech I have discussed why video games are so damaging and this is exactly why we need to limit the time we spend playing these games. We also need to follow the age restrictions and make sure that we play games that are suitable for our age, as there is a reason behind this. I know that completely quitting video games is as unlikely as raining cats and dogs but limiting the amount of time we spend is doable.
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