Youths addicted to Gaming

With the advent of technology, there has certainly been an increasing trend in video-game addiction.

Besides this fact, i believe it is the rigours of academic life that drives our youths to these virtual reality programmes. Failing to achieve academic goals, many may turn to video games in order to gain a relatively 'easier' thrill-by achiveing quests and missions-than striving vainlessly to attain optimum grades. In addition, these games provide one with an artifical level of confidence-which is to say, pride that one obtains from excelling in virtual reality, rather than things one has achived in real life. This sense of 'achievement' and the adrenaline rush is what hot-blooded youths yearn for, and it is thus that they turn to this.

However, gaming has it's dangers. There have been incidents of youths perishing after prolonged gaming periods, which could be as long as an entire day,as according to an article in the Straits Times in 2006. A man had perished due to weak blood circulation in his body, after having gamed for an entire day.

There are,however,steps that parents or others can take to prevent this from happening. One could advise these youths to set realistic goals for themselves academically. Others could study with this affected youth in order to encourage him to study. Parents would either have to enforce strict disciplinary rule or have a heart-to-heart talk with their children. Their intervention would play a crucial role in getting the misguided youth to understand the perils of persistant gaming. Parents should also be advised to cut their children some slack academically, if the root cause of the problem is so.

It would be a good idea to get the teen involved or interested in other more erstwhile activities, such as reading, dancing, or even gardening. This would be a exponential distraction, and could possibly wean one off their video game addiction.

We should not give up on these misguided youths as 'lost causes'. Instead, we should provide the encouragement and support they need in order to live their own lives to the fullest, in the most productive and fufilling way possible.