Online gaming drawbacks

 As the advancement in information technology continues to gleam over the country, another part of our culture—one that our youth are tasked to espouse and keep—slowly veers away from the light, creeping into the cavities of complete disremember. The advent of computers and internet cafeterias may have compressed the universe in a nutshell but in the process, it has also eaten up some of the Filipino youth’s prominent identity.  Entertainment for the youth now comes in a form of a computer set and online games, most of which seem to promote and uphold violence.

Seriously, when was the last time you saw kids playing bato-lata, Dr. Wakwak or siyatong? I’m asking this because there’s nothing in recent memory that I can retrieve to show a picture of youngsters taking pride in playing our traditional Pinoy games and sports. When in fact, these traditional games and sports characterize the kind of youth our nation has— springing with enthusiasm and power, gregarious but never oblivious to the basic tenets of humility in both defeat and victory, and most of all, glowing with some sense of resourcefulness that comes always inalienable to their being Filipino. 

But get inside any ordinary internet café in the neighborhood and you will find students, others still in their school uniform, clashing in pairs and groups as they try to outplay others in what seems to be a battle of who clicks on the mouse faster.  They are like being dragged into their own magical world that only they understand. They then, in a boisterous and raucous way, utter words that are rather displeasing to the ears of those who are in the café to do more meaningful business of researching or encoding, for instance. Sometime in their playing, they can even get extremely profane. Almost everywhere, this seems to be the culture among youths engaged in online gaming.

According to an online how-to guide, many studies indicate that violent computer games can have very negative effects on children. New studies indicate that even the non-violent games may have negative effects on a child. Games can have some positive results in helping children deal with stress and to learn difficult school subjects such as math and reading. These same positive games can cause problems for the child in other ways.

Short-term aggression. The General Aggression Model (GAM), developed by Craig Anderson and Douglas Gentile, indicates that violent computer games can cause short term aggression. The computer games can be more prone to exciting aggression than other entertainment because of the interactive nature of the computer games. Lack of problem solving. Violent computer games teach children that problems can be solved with little or no personal investment or by violence. These games indicate that rather than talking through and taking responsibility for problems, shooting or other acts of violence can elicit correct responses and make problems go away.

Weight gain. Computer games frequently do not require any additional movements beyond the hands. This coupled with a child’s tendency to eat and drink while playing computer games can result in weight gain. Weight gain has been linked to various diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Anti-social behaviors. A child who is conditioned to play computer games may find it difficult to socialize with other children. This anti-social behavior can extend through adulthood, making it more difficult for the adult to respond to co-workers in an effective manner. This can also negatively affect relationships and friendships, causing a sense of loneliness.

While new technology contributes something good to humanity, it can also have disturbing impacts. Our youth with their never-ending attitude of curiosity can be most vulnerable to any unfavorable bearing technology may bring. Of course, they can get entertainment for themselves but the process should not compromise the other important pieces of our nationhood. They can always choose to become DoTA masters, but they should first become Dr. Wakwak.