For a good few decades, men have been obsessed with playing games as a downtime. It provides a leisurely time for them and has been for ages. From game boys, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, to online games.
Most of these games are war simulations and include graphic and violent scenes. Many people have been protesting against such dangerous games as they fear their adverse reactions to youth. The question arises, is it safe for young impressionable minds to play such violent games?
Relationship Between Violence And Aggression
It is a tale as old as time that young boys who grew up watching graphic, violent things ended up craving the same violence. From psychopaths wishing to recreate the scenes of killing they viewed while playing games to young men who are easily impressionable and often lack the ability to differentiate real life from reel.
When kids are young, their brains are not yet fully developed. They find solace and peace in acts of violence and deem it normal. Researchers have observed adolescent children exhibiting a 30 to 40 percent increase in aggression as a consequence of regular engagement with violent games. It has been proved that men who frequently played games were unable to utilize essential regions of their brains which left them unable to refrain from resorting to violence.Another study suggested that children who played games for a mere 30 minutes, displayed instantly lowered activity present in their prefrontal cortex as compared to a child who played no games at all. Putting the mental health of young kids at risk and causing many extensive issues if not treated.
What happens When Boys Play Such Games?
When constantly exposed to violence and gore at an early age, they perceive it as a natural thing and resort to violence as the primary solution for any minor inconvenience. The loud noises and lights flashing overstimulate the brain, leaving no space for calm thoughts.
The perpetual and constant adrenaline rush caused by these games results in an ability to not differentiate between genuinely dangerous situations and those that are completely safe. A study indicated that children who continued playing games were left victims of social ineptness. They exhibited lower academic performance, aggression, and even long-term mental health issues.
Pakistan has been the victim of cases where young boys shoot each other due to minor disagreements or misunderstandings. And there were also cases where these children took their own lives in rebellion against their parents confiscating their mobile phones.
Psychology suggests that young boys who are frequently exposed to violence and gore may experience an impeding mental capacity enabling them to have a distorted perception more commonly expressed as “Seeing everything in red”, thus hindering their cognitive abilities and being unable to engage in rational thinking.
How To Prevent This Issue?
It is futile to inform young boys to conform to our standards and educate them on how they are potentially ruining their lives as they do not concern themselves with such things at a young age; rather, it is something they should comprehend on their own. Teaching them from adolescence emotional intelligence is preferable compared to acting in a self-heated state. A calm and collected environment should be fostered to help them comprehend the importance of independence from emotions and rationality. It is essential to teach them de-escalating skills and have them understand the importance of self-awareness and a sense of responsibility.
Playing video games is not bad in itself; however, moderation is essential. When blown out of proportion, it can be harmful and have many adverse reactions. It may feel elevating to play a game after a whole week of hard work or studying but we must learn to distuinguish between what is real and what is virtual and if we are unable to do so, we might end up with fights and wars.