Healthy Games for Healthier Kid

An initiative for kids health by Micro scooter India

When I remember my childhood, I find lots of outdoor games, like Gully Cricket (Street Cricket), Hide & Seek, Pithu (Seven Stones), Chor police and Vish Amrit etc. These were not just games these were the events happening on the society or colony streets where all the kids in the society were part of the game.

Negative Effects of Video Games

Social Connections

Since television video games can be played solely as well and do not require a partner or friend, the risk of social aloofness is extremely high. As per research, the children who indulge in video games spend less time with friends and family members. They are not aware of the warmth and love that a relationship holds. For such children, video games are their life.

Low Empathy 

Video games & Television are believed to have detrimental effects on a child's sense of empathy and willingness to help others. The feeling of 'I, Me & Myself' rises phenomenally. For instance, when two brothers are playing the game together, their role play is mostly that of enemies rather than friends. It is said competition is good only the time till it is healthy. Regular practice of unhealthy competition in video games is sure to affect the child in real life as well.

Health - No More a Wealth

Thanks to reduced physical activity, which results from excessive video game usage and Television viewing, there has been a continuous increase of obesity amongst children. Gone are the days when children used to indulge in sports that required them to run, hop and skip. Today, more and more children are found locked to the monitors, with a remote in hand and a mission in mind - to get to the next level in the game. Video games not only augment the risk of obesity, but also other health issues, such as video-induced seizures, muscular and skeletal disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve compression

Reality or Fantasy?

Games and Television can confuse a child's mind-set completely. Increased exposure to fantasy world can reduce his/ her capability to get the picture of the real world in his mind. The result - utter confusion and inability to differentiate between the two! For a small kid, what he/she sees is what he sets in his mind. For instance, while killing an enemy is the only resort to move to the next level in video games, the same is not the case in reality or Harry potter’s magic and the evil wizard Voldmort is not real.

Poor Academics

According to studies, children who spent long hours watching Television and playing video games have a falling academic graph. They do not complete the homework, spend less time studying and have an overall poor performance in studies as their mind is already tired by understanding the fantasy world. Believe it or not, video games are extremely engaging and appealing. So, who would want to leave an exciting game at hand, midway, for learning a chapter on world war or writing an essay on national integration?.

Knack for Violence

Increased rate of violence and aggression is the foremost adversity that results from video games. Since video games demand active participation of the player, it wrongly affects a child's behaviour and psychology. These games are mostly based on reward system, i.e. acknowledging the violent activities of the children. Therefore, chances are that a child, who is exposed to video games, is likely to get more violent, hostile and aggressive. .