The video game industry is blooming day by day. Today millions of children spend hours online gaming. These games are good for spending free time. If a person is stressed due to his work; one game session is very helpful to release all the stress. After Covid 19, a lot of people started playing online games such as the hunter call of the wild controls PC. You don’t have to walk out of the room and can easily enjoy the day. The gaming industry is not considered one of the top industries for better income and jobs. You can work as a developer, illustrator, writer, etc.
But are these games good for your kid? Video games can affect your kids physically and mentally. Playing online games once in a while doesn’t cause any harmful effects. But if the kid is addicted to video games; he may face various issues.
The positive impact of playing video games on mental health
Playing video games has various positive impacts on your mental health. Most parents think playing video games is just a waste of time. But playing games can also help in relieving stress. There are various benefits of playing video games.
Mental stimulation
Playing video games can increase your thinking power. When a person plays a video game; all parts of his brain start working to active high-level thinking. New games can be very complex and require extra thinking. If a person is playing a complex game, he learns new skills and strategies to analyze the game. Playing video games can improve the development of the brain and critical thinking skills.
Mental health recovery
Any type of game can recover your mental health. Playing outdoor games makes you physically fit and improves your health. Online games can harm your physical body but can improve your mental health. It can help with trauma recovery. Playing video games distracts from pain and any kind of psychological trauma. These can be very helpful in managing various mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, etc.
Provide accomplished feeling
When you play a video game, you have a goal. The gamer makes a mindset to reach the goal. Once the person achieves the goal; it can bring a lot of satisfaction that enhances well-being. These achievements in games are like trophies of goals. The kid learns how to set a goal and how to achieve them. The steadiness can help in better thinking and decision-making.
Better social interaction
Today, playing is not only about fun. You can play online games with people around the globe. Multiplayer online games are very good for creating virtual social interaction. People with “I” in MBTI are poor at making new friends. But meeting new people through online games is very easy. You not only talk to new people but also learn to trust and team skills. Multiplayer games can encourage your kid to learn various new social skills. He can talk to people around the globe and can learn various things.
Emotional resilience
Failing in any situation like a test or game can be very frustrating. Playing video games can help in coping with failure and tells you to play again. Learning from failure is one of the most crucial lessons for kids. When a kid loses in a game; he starts thinking about the shortcomings and trains himself hard to achieve the goal.
The negative impact of playing video games on mental health
Poor self-esteem
Kids who have addiction issues usually have low self-esteem. But having a game addiction is very different. Your kid may not have problems playing video games with anyone. He can easily talk to anyone in the game. But the problem appears when they move into the real world. Life outside online games is very different. In the game, games judge each other depending on gaming and teamwork skills. It can lead to better friendships and better gaming. But the real world can be very scary. This world can judge you a lot. You can find lots of people who will criticize you for your appearance, talking skills, financial status, and many things. If your kid spends a lot of time playing online games but doesn't have friends in the real world then it can be a big problem. He can face lots of problems in dealing with real-time problems. You should talk to the kids' counselor for managing his mental health.
Depression
Playing online games a lot can lead to depression. Most addicted gamers usually deal with depression problems. But the answer is not clear whether online gaming is causing depression or depression is making people addicted to online games.
Meanwhile, any of these cases can negatively affect your mental health. Sometimes, gamers end up developing various negative habits such as reducing physical activity, staying up all night, ignoring real-time people, and many more.
When a kid is stressed; he starts playing online games. Gaming can help to reduce stress. But now he will start playing games in any situation instead of finding a solution. He will feel better while playing the game. But this pleasure is virtual as it won’t solve your real-time issues.
Lack of motivation
Gamers are very motivated by their game. They want to achieve new goals like better scores, more wins, etc. But this addiction can reduce motivation for other tasks. The person may fail in performing real-time tasks and activities. Instead of motivating himself to perform well in real-time jobs; he rather spends his time in games. Gamers enjoy getting contrast rewards and achievements such as earning rewards. But they may face problems in achieving personal goals. They can show problems in managing real-time deals. Gamers feel better while playing games but can feel frustrated in dealing with real-world problems.
Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions in children. It can be caused due to various factors. Playing online games can also cause anxiety issues in kids. They become addicted to games which leads to anxiety issues. It can cause various consequences in the future, decision-making, etc. Anxiety can also lead to social phobia, etc.
