Abhijith N Kolpe
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 9: Many youngsters these days are seen addicted to online games which have forced them to change their everyday routine. Games like PUBG have become a trending rage among teenagers, who spend most of their time playing this game.
Addiction to such games has kept them away from extracurricular and other day to day activities. Even the graph of academic performance is on a downward trend, and many cite addiction to these games as the reason.
These youngsters, who are addicted to such games, prefer to stay alone and have lost social touch. They are seen glued to their screens most of the time. PUBG is a multi player online game where one can play with different number of people at a time.
For parents it has become a headache to control their children and stop them from playing such games where violence is promoted. Let us not forget games like Blue Whale and Momo which had claimed several lives of young children. It is the responsibility of the parents to keep close watch on their children and stop them from playing such games which will hamper their well being.
There have been lot of demands to ban PUBG games throughout India and several campaigns have taken place in colleges and universities. In Bengaluru, schools have warned parents against PUBG online games as several cases have been reported on the addiction at NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
Speaking to Daijiworld.com, Sandra Lobo, head of Psychology Department School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya said, "Online games like PUBG or some other games are addictive. They are counterproductive also. They also prevent real life interaction with real people. Such games create disturbance in biological rhythm where there is alteration in the sleep wake cycle that leads to mood swings and other mental health concerns. Because of this, the addicted person may be moody, show lack of interest, irritability which is the consequences of not having good sleep which results in mental health concerns, sleeping disorders or any anxiety based disorders. It will cause eye strain, text neck because of overuse of mobile. It affects interpersonal relationships as well.”
Lobo also raised concerns on the game promoting violence. PUBG entitles one to get arms and ammunitions to kill people. One follows the voices in the game which is vicarious and observational learning takes place. This is harmful where violence is clearly being read and understood and demonstrated by killing people.
"A year ago, NIMHANS in Bengaluru started a clinic called ‘Service for Healthy use of Technology (SHUT)’ where several teenagers step into the clinic seeking help to detoxify themselves from technology addiction,” informed Sandra Lobo.
Speaking to Daijiworld.com, director Vikas Edu Solution and Cyber Security Trainer Dr Ananth Prabhu G said," Human brain follows a reward system. Whenever we accomplish any tough task which people say that we cannot do, the brain rewards us by secreting small amounts of neurotransmitter called dopamine,”
"Unfortunately, instead of accomplishing tough tasks in life which bring us name and fame making us achieve our goals, the youth these days try to get happiness (dopamine) by accomplishing difficult tasks in video games,” explains Ananth Prabhu
Similarly, games which give more thrill (that releases more amount of dopamine as tasks are much more difficult to achieve) such as Blue Whale, Momo challenge etc. are very dangerous and make youth vulnerable forcing them to commit suicide. Thus it is advisable that parents allow children to play outdoor games where they can refresh their mind and body, learn to play musical instruments, paint or design a craft etc so that the free time is properly utilized for holistic well being, he added.
He further said, "Gaming companies have unfortunately understood the secret and realise that it is very easy to make youth fall prey to such games and other activities, while wasting precious time of youth which could be used for capacity building and nation building. Therefore, parents, teachers and society at large have major role to play to ensure that our youth do not get addicted to such games and are not misguided,”
Prabhu pointed out that inability to gain success in life, is one of the main reasons youth fall prey to gaming addiction. “Lack of attention from parents and families, bullying by seniors makes youth maintain distance and thus they get solace from these video games which makes them feel complete and also give them right amounts of dopamine. They fail to realise that in a long run they are spoiling their eyes, not gaining anything by winning online games and becoming victim to an unhealthy need. Moreover, some of them lose money by spending time in cyber and other skill game centres and rest of them indulge in gambling and other nefarious activities. The violent video games have deep psychological impact which can make a person aggressive, short tempered and even mentally disturbed because of violence in it,” he said.
Lastly the government, self help groups and other organisations should come forward in conducting awareness programmes which will channelize the energy of youth in right direction, concluded Dr Ananth Prabhu.