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Identifying and Treating a Video Game Addiction

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Video games, like most things, are good in moderation. Play through an evening, kill some time, wind down after work or school or whatever. And like other things that are good in moderation, video games can be abused and overused.

Video game addition is the compulsively excessive playing of video games. This pathological gaming often interferes with other aspects of the person’s life, such as their social life. Symptoms of a video game addiction include:

  • Choosing to play instead of seeing friends
  • Falling out of social groups
  • Irritability or depression when not playing
  • Being more concerned with game interactions over other aspects of their life
  • Suffering hygiene or health, significant weight loss or gain
  • Falling grades, falling behind in school or other responsibilities
  • Lying about game use
  • Other physical symptoms such as headaches, eye strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, and sleep deprivation
  • All free time is spent gaming

Video game addiction has been shown to be detrimental to the addict’s health. In rare cases, this addiction can kill either the addict or people around the addict. Some treatments or preventions:

  • Limiting play-time before any addiction manifests
  • Addiction treatment centers or counseling
  • Enrolling child in extracurricular activities to fill their time and entertain them
  • “Wilderness therapy programs”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with video or computer games – like there’s nothing inherently wrong with alcohol, food, sex, exercise, probably marijuana, medications, or shopping. An addiction – be it substance or behavioral – is a psychological or physiological dependence on something. Treatment may need to be done carefully, but it most definitely should be done.

Filed Under: Computers, Games Tagged With: , ,

Good Games For Your Children

Children of today’s world are becoming increasingly involved in games. They love playing games as they find simple pleasures of life while playing games in the virtual world. It becomes important for the parents to take a note of what their children are playing. It helps the children to enjoy a safe and secured experience and the chance of falling into the trap of getting addicted is also visibly reduced. However there are parents who are either not interested in games or do not have the requisite knowledge about them. For such parents it is important to know that for the safety of the children it is necessary for the parents to game with the children.

Parents, before buying a game console or letting their children play video games should gather knowledge about games. They should be aware about the different consoles available and their features. The more the parents become involved with their children in games, the more the children become secured. There are a plethora of games which are available in the market. Some of the games may be apt for your children whereas some should be definitely avoided. Parents should study about such games and make themselves aware about which games to let their children play.  It is also important to note the games that parents may enjoy.  There are a plethora of games available on the Internet that are sports related or gambling related; including sites where you are playing poker online.  While these may be too mature for children, they are perfect for adults.

There are some sports games which allow you to have an amazing time. They also let you know more about the technicalities of the games and how to play them. For example a Tennis related game can teach your children a lot about the game which can actually enhance his interest in playing the game in real life. Parents should also make it a point to choose games which do not incorporate non-violent titles and content. Sports and fantasy games tend to have educational content and can involve more than one person. It is important to find games which teach your children to play cooperatively and together with others.

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Helping Kids Fight Gaming Addictions

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In the world today there are a number of different video game systems as well as thousands of video games that involve anything from cooking, dancing to realistic war games. With so many choices out there it is no wonder that kids even as young as 3 and 4 are beginning to develop gaming addictions. Here are some tips for parents to help them battle this addiction.

Turn Everything Off

Sometimes the best way to take care of this type of problem is to designate a time in the home where everything gets shut off. This includes computers, televisions and of course, video games. Hand held video games systems have to be put up and the family has to do something together. Whether it just be something as simple as everyone reading a book or even getting together and playing a board game. Not only does this get kids off video games it helps encourage family time.

Take All the Games Away

Taking away all the video game systems and putting them away or even getting rid of them completely is another option to help kids fight gaming addictions. Many parents are hesitant to do this, especially if they are dealing with children who are prone to throwing fits, but for some it is the only way to get kids interested in doing other activities. Simply explain that video games were being played too much. Some parents opt to just take away the video games and give them back during the weekend. This helps kids learn that they are still able to play, just in moderation.

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How to Manage the Children PC Games Time

Parents should engage themselves with the kids when they are playing PC games. Studies show that most parents rarely be with their child while playing and even most parents have very little knowledge on the themes of the games. To manage the kids’ time for playing video games, parents should engage with the kids and only then children will listen to their parents genuinely. Here are few tips manage the child PC game time.

When the children are very young, parents should choose PC games for them. Parents should choose games that do not have any violence and stereotyping themes. Parents can even other parents’ suggestion and review while buying the PC games. Also, children interest should be taken into consideration while buying the game. If possible, the PC can be kept in the public space of the house so that parents can keep close watch on what their children are playing.

It is a best idea to buy games where all members of a family can participate. Parents can approach the local games renting store to restrict the violent games for their account, so that children will not have access to violent games.  It is even better to talk with the kids why some games should be avoided and parents should tell why they fell some games are offensive.

Parents can set some rules for playing games, particularly with the timing. Total restriction for playing PC games may produce negative effects. Parents can encourage their children to do other activities and parents can even control the spending on the PC games.

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How to Stop your Kids from playing PC Games

Children love playing games, especially PC games. Today’s children are very much addicted to these games as they feel it highly entertaining and fun. Though these games are very fun for the children and also provide some benefits for the hand-eye coordination, these do not help the children get some fresh exercise and experience that they need from the outdoor exercises. Here are few steps to stop children getting addicted to PC games.

It is good for parents to sit down with their child when they are playing. The parents should insist the child to reduce the time for their indoor games, especially video games. It is the job of the parents to tell the children about the benefits of having fresh outdoor games and this should be done in a very understandable manner.

The health benefits of outdoor games should be explained to children and a child should know that staying inside get them number of diseases. Also, children must know that they will have less physical coordination when they are playing video or PC games. Parents can purchase them some outdoor games equipment such as soccer ball, basket ball hoop, and Trampoline to encourage them to play outdoors. During summer, parents can get them small swimming pools.

Parents can involve their children in outdoor activities and hobbies such as fishing, go cart, and bi-cycling. There are many children sport center available today, which parents can make use of. Along with this, children should be given healthy foods that is enriched with vegetables and fruits.

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How to Choose PC Games for Kids

Parents should not pick the PC games with the coolest cover over it. Most companies that design PC games for the kids always prefer to make the games cover to be coolest, absolutely not harmful, and best looking, but inside everything will be different. PC games can be fun and safe for the kids as long as the parents use some rules to select the suitable games. Here are few easy tips to select the best games for the kids.

Video games have ratings very similar to movies. There are associations that rate the PC games and also explain the content in the games. These associations follow certain guidelines to help the user determine whether the game is suitable for the kids. Parents can use their ratings and the ratings are based on the age of the user and type of the content. Each rating contains two main parts: age appropriateness symbol and content description. Therefore parents can use this symbol to determine whether the game is suitable for their child.

Before buying the product, parents can discuss about the games with other parents or read product review online. Most of the online selling sites provide product review under each game product to help the user. The reviews will be given both by child as well as parents and parents should read both reviews to get an idea about the product.

Most important thing among all is that parents should talk to their kids about their interest and the type of games they really want to try. If the parents still not satisfied with the games, then they can play with their kids for some time and this will definitely help them to know more about the PC games.

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Concerns about PC Games

PC games are the fastest growing industry and it is second in terms of profit next to the music industry. The sales of video games or PC games are increasing dramatically and kids are finding it very entertaining and fun. According to a study, it is found that 90 percentages of children plays PC game occasionally. The PC games are not only popular among children, but also adults are very much attracted to it. The research and studies conducted on the effects of the video games claim that the PC games produce huge impact on the youth culture.

Until now, only few effects of the PC games have been found, and it has major effects on children socialization and development. While there are few positive aspects of playing PC games, there are many negative effects such as violence, excessive playing, racial stereotyping, and gender stereotyping. Some children are heavy users of this game and this leads them to neglect their school work, and even avoid going to schools.

Not only schools, children even neglect other activities in their day-to-day schedule. This also increases many health problems like obesity among children. Therefore parents should control their time while playing the PC games. Young children cannot differentiate fantasy and real life, and this could lead them vulnerable to the violence in the games. Children will become fearful or over aggressive.

Also, studies show that PC games increase the racial discrimination among children and even children will get negative portrayals of people from other culture or ethnic background.

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Interactive Games: How they Compare to Real-life Exercise

Gaming consoles have successfully found a new market that even parents are getting involved in. The Nintendo Wii first made an impact, offering interactive sports games for users to play. As a result, users are forced up off of the couch and will burn more calories than playing traditional games. Since, there are a plethora of interactive games to get you moving on nearly every console, from dancing, aerobics, golf, and running.

These types of games are without a doubt much healthier for your child than traditional sit-on-the-couch-for-five-hours-until-you-beat-this-level games. But are interactive video games really that healthy? They certainly are not the same as exercising or playing sports outdoors. Here are a few things these video games lack:

  • Fresh air. Unless you are playing video games in the backyard, you will not gain the benefits of being in the great outdoors. At the same time, interactive sports games are an alternative for times when you cannot play outside, such as a blizzard or heat wave.
  • Sportsmanship. Sure, you can play these games with your friends and things can get competitive. However, real sportsmanship is gained from playing a game consistently through interpersonal communication. Having a computerized characters playing against each other on-screen just doesn’t have the same impact.
  • Professional guidance. Playing a workout game is not a bad thing. However, the safety of such games are questionable, particularly if you are using them to lose weight or gain muscle mass.

Interactive video games are not completely bad and you do not have to necessarily discourage them in your household. However, you should encourage some form of balance. Your child should have more outdoor play than video game play. Sports are not for everyone, but they should be encouraged, especially if your child shows interest through a video game. This way, he can make more friends and test his physical limits out on the field. If you are concerned that your child spends too much time playing video games, have a heart-to-heart talk. Talking down will only make matters worse.

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How to Recognize the Signs of a Gaming Addiction in Your Child

Video games are part of the western culture. Children are being raised surrounded by technological advances that your parents and even you may not have had exposure to. It is only natural that children want to partake in technology, particularly video games. Video games are fun and rewarding, but can also be addictive.

Before you panic, know that it is normal for a child to want to play hours on end, particularly on the weekends when he doesn’t have responsibilities related to school or work. It is normal to want to play games. It is not normal when video games overtake your child’s life. There are signs to look for when determining whether or not your child has a gaming addiction:

  • Your child becomes enraged when he cannot play video games. He will likely get upset if he can’t but there is a fine line between being irritated and being over-emotional about the lack of gaming time.
  • He hides gaming time from you after you have laid out guidelines for play time. You will find that he will play at a friend’s house when they are supposed to be studying or calling off of work so he can finish a level.
  • His friends don’t call as often and you notice a lack of social time. Most children will have video game time and time outside the home with friends. If your child is increasingly becoming more of a home-body, it is time to talk to him.
  • Gaming interferes with school work. It is easy to procrastinate about homework and play a video game. Children usually turn around when their grades start to slip or after a parent-teacher conference about their grades. Addicts won’t care about grades.

If you have difficulty determining these signs, seek the help of an addiction specialist.

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Tips on Limiting Video Game Usage in Children

Video games are a fun form of entertainment. There is nothing quite like them. Advances in technology have made them more interactive and more realistic-looking than ever. This is a common way for a child to unwind after sitting in class for hours on end. Video games may seem harmless at first, especially if they do not contain inappropriate material such as sex, profanity, and violence.

Still, there are other points to consider. Do you find that your child plays for a long length of time both after school and on weekends? Does the only interaction with friends consist of playing a game online? The fact is that video games in themselves are not directly harmful, but playing them too often can potentially affect your child emotionally and physically. He may have difficulties dealing with real-life situations and may face health problems from a lack of physical activity.

The best thing to do is to limit your child’s video game usage early in life. It may be easy to let your child play for a while, especially if you have a million chores to do. If you let this type of routine continue, It is not too late to limit your child’s video game play time. Here are a few tips:

  • Encourage outdoor activities. This may take some work at first, because you will likely need to be the leader and play outside as well. Do not consider this a burden. Outdoor play is a great way to bond and a way for both of you to burn some calories.
  • Enroll your child in group activities, such as a sport he might be interested in. This will encourage interpersonal skills and teamwork.
  • Talk to your child about the video games and explain the importance of setting a time limit. Explain your reasoning and do not tell him “Because I said so” or anything else condescending in manner.
  • Set an example. Adults like to play games too. Do not encourage your child to do something else while you sit there and play games on your own.
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