Advantages and disadvantages of online gaming.



Online gaming has become a lot more popular in recent years. Rather than playing outside, kids prefer playing indoors online. 


The global digital media market has consistently been growing, with gaming accounting for the biggest share of market revenues. In 2020, the global online gaming market generated approximately 21.1 billion U.S. dollars in revenues, which translates to a record 21.9 percent growth compared to 2019.


As technology is improving the playing experience and the graphics of online games are also improving rapidly, online gaming has become another form of entertainment and education for kids and also adults, Games like ‘Times Table', and 'Rock Stars‘ that is used in primary schools and preschool apps like ‘Endless Alphabet‘ can be great tools to help children learn more engagingly. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of gaming. 


Advantages of online gaming.


1. Concentration

Frequently playing video games can increase a person's concentration and can be beneficial for intellectual development,

and kids can learn reasoning and strategic thinking which can be useful later in life.


When faced with problems that require deep thinking and abstract reasoning, it can help boost their brain development at an early age and can also increase their intelligence. With better concentration kids can focus better and also excel in their academic tasks. It can also help them build perseverance to attain goals.



2. Education

Online gaming is a great source of developing early learning skills in children, 

Today numerous games provide educational content so kids can have entertainment and learn at the same time which can also help them academically, therefore, increasing their intelligence. 


Games that are immersive and require problem-solving skills to win require children to take in a lot of information. Regularly playing these types of games can help improve a child's short-term and long-term memory. Many games require children to be creative and can help develop analytical thinking in children.

3. Multitasking 

Many studies have shown online gaming can develop multitasking skills in children.

Many games require children to do more than one task at a time to improve their multitasking skills. Many studies have also shown that the older we grow the harder it becomes to multitask. 


But playing video games has been shown to improve cognitive function and in particular the multitasking ability of players. In a UCSF study, adult subjects ranging from 60-85 years became as effective at multitasking as 20 years old after just a month of training.


4. Social skills

Over 70% of gamers play with a friend either playing against each other or playing together cooperatively in a team.


Video games have created a fun and engaging way of connecting with people, they can help develop cooperation skills and supporting skills as players have the option to play together and form alliances.

Video games often result in better outcomes if players work together as a team, encouraging players to be social and cooperative. 


These skills are also important in the outside world for creating and maintaining friendships and relationships, especially in school and work environments.


Disadvantages of online gaming.


1. Addiction

Video games can be a great form of entertainment for children but playing excessively can result in addiction as they are intentionally designed to keep the player from not leaving the game and playing as much as possible, which requires the player to sit on a chair for a long amount of time which can result in all kinds of problems such as obesity, anxiety and antisocial behavior in children. 


That's why it is better to take short breaks after gaming for 30 minutes or an hour to avoid video game addiction and to remain healthy both physically and mentally. 


Many online games are developed using violent content to attract adults, but kids can also play these types of inappropriate games without any restriction. That's why many players that are addicted to certain games can even turn abusive when faced with a loss. Which can affect them in real life. So the right thing to do would be to play these games not more than several hours a day as it can affect a player's physical and mental health. 


2. Cyberbullying.

The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) releases an annual report on the demographics of gamers in Australia. The research found that around 60% of young people played online games and 17% of respondents reported experiencing online bullying. When faced with online bullying, 42% of young people turned off chat, 41% ignored the bullying and 38% blocked bullies or stopped playing games with bullies. 


Children can be the target of cyberbullies in online games as there is no one to stop the only thing children can do is report the bully. That's why cyberbullying is pretty widespread in online games, but most games offer services to block bullies from messaging you.



3. Health problems.

Spending hours on a gaming chair playing games can increase obesity. Likewise, other health problems that you can get if you play online games for more than several hours a day. 


Prolonged time spent in online gaming can have adverse effects on children's physical health and can cause poor posture, eye problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, negative coping mechanisms, unhealthy lifestyle, loneliness, and in some cases even depression. 




Conclusion

Online gaming is an amazing and fun way of spending time and releasing stress, but

Everything done in excess is bad, that's why we should always set a limit on how much we play online games.


Online games are a way to relax and have fun but if you get stressed by them this defeats the whole purpose of games, that’s why it is always recommended to play online games only 1-2 hours in a day so you can avoid getting addicted to them and have better health.


Gaming has its own goods and bads like everything else, but if it comes at a cost of your health it is not a thing that you should consider as health is our true wealth.