Anoushka ManiContributing Author, Rightantra Nisha PurohitContributing Author, Rightantra with valuable inputs from Ameesha Tripathi Editor in-Chief, Rightantra It was a bright Sunday morning, and I was ritualistically curled up on my sofa reading the newspaper. Suddenly, high pitched yelling broke my focus. Upon investigation, I found that it was my neighbour’s kid, Sonu screaming because his mother refused to let him start his day with video games. It was then that I realised the extent to which the COVID-19 Pandemic had created havoc in everyday lives. Since the world shifted to online spaces, everyone had to be glued to their devices- especially children, who spent a large portion of their day attending school through their gadgets instead of actually being there. Sonu’s perspective on the pandemic was a year full of fun, no school, no extra classes, only video games, mobile games & cartoons.
Pre vs. Post COVID19: The two kinds of gaming addictionsAs I continued my conversation with Sonu, I realised how the pandemic impacted the playing habits of children. Before, the primary form of play for children including Sonu was outdoors with friends. While he always loved playing video games, but his mom made sure that he spent only 30 minutes a day with it. Today, he’s glued to it for almost the entire day. This is what addiction looks like. The word ‘addiction’ means being ‘enslaved by’ or ‘bound to’ is derived from a latin word ‘addictio’. We know Sonu was addicted to gaming because it was difficult for him to keep the game aside and do other activities. The effects of these are distinct too. His eyes get strained, and he is also getting frequent headaches. He also got irritable when his mom asked him to paint, or help her with chores. Since there are two main categories of video games, there are also two basic forms of video game addictions: One-on-one play is standard in most video games, with a defined aim or purpose, such as rescuing the princess. That mission or predetermined standard is typically what drives gamers to play these games. To draw a parallel to video games, mobile games along with online games often seem to have similar addictive effects. On the other hand, addiction to online multiplayer games is more common. Played with other players online, they have no end and are very addicting. Gaming addicts who like creating and momentarily inhabiting online characters are prone to this form of addiction. As a kind of escapism, they form connections with other online gamers. It's possible that this community is the place where certain individuals feel most welcomed. Now, let’s get to the ‘why’ of gaming disorder Addiction exerts a long and powerful influence on the brain that manifests itself in three distinct ways: craving for the object of addiction, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement with it despite adverse consequences. Now this is not just restricted to alcohol or drugs, but also includes activities like gaming, shopping, gambling etc. According to WHO’s 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), Gaming Disorder was named as a clinically recognizable and clinically significant syndrome. Researchers found that when someone was suffering through this syndrome, the nature of the gaming behaviour resulted in marked distress or significant impairment in personal, family social, educational or occupational functioning. InSonu’s case, he felt anxious when he was not allowed to play video games for long hours. His mother informed me that he would often skip dinner, and school to continue playing his favourite games. Effects of Gaming Addiction Video game addiction, like any other kind of compulsive disorder, if not addressed properly at an early stage, can lead to serious long term repercussions. In this case, Sonu often used to avoid sleeping and eating meals on time to just continue gaming. Even while hunger and exhaustion may be a short-term symptom, it might develop to a sleep disturbance or other diet-related health problems. Children who play video games alone may lose out on family gatherings, socialising with friends, or other activities in the short term. Addicts, on the other hand, may lose all of their friends if this continues for a lengthy period of time. In order to assess the long-term effects, financial, intellectual, and professional repercussions of video game addiction should also be taken into account. A high-speed Internet connection is essential for online multiplayer games in order to play video games online, and these expenditures may quickly add up. Because of the time commitment required to play these games, those who get hooked may find that they are unable to devote as much time to other pursuits, such as school or sports. How can it be overcome? Change is the only constant in this world. Understanding this itself is pertinent to overcome addiction. A change in lifestyle, goals and time management is necessary and should be done at a micro level. In our case, Sonu was helped by his parents since he was very young to do this himself. Firstly, they sat down with him and discussed everything thoroughly. They didn't use any forceful method and made sure that he felt comfortable. This was important since dealing with children needs patience and humility. They asked him about school, what he had learnt recently, and if he was regularly revising what had been taught. Then, they asked him how his friends were and if he was in touch with them. They proceeded to ask him if he was still painting regularly (as this used to be his favourite hobby). They also asked him what he wanted to become when he was older. These questions helped Sonu and his parents introspect into everything he was doing. Since Sonu was young, he wasn’t ready to change his habits yet. His parents suggested that he could still play video games but told him to gradually reduce the time he spent on it. The first few weeks were difficult for him to adjust to, but he didn't give up just yet. He knew that change was a gradual process and eventually he would go back to normal.They bought various board games and cards at home. Every night after dinner, they used to play ludo. They also taught him how to play monopoly. Since he had always loved painting as a hobby, they signed him up for an online painting class. They stuck all his paintings on their walls to encourage him to paint more.6 months later, everything was back on track. Sonu had overcome his anxiety and was happy too. Conclusion All stories may not have such easy solutions. Other options such as therapy exist too. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences’ aptly named SHUT clinic, which stands for the Service for Healthy Use of Technology is India’s first clinic exclusively dealing with technology-related mental health issues. They are helping people overcome video gaming addictions. Using technology to beat technology, there are also many apps currently that help overcoming addiction by monitoring one’s screen time. To read more about the effects of video gaming on children, please read our previous article from here. References:
1 Comment
Rajesh vyas
12/28/2021 05:03:18 pm
All the children are going through this situation today, very beautifully written
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
December 2021
|