Analysis of the different perspectives on the issue of video game ban

Who does not like to play games? Every person must love games in one form or another. There are many forms of games, including video games, computer games, board games, party games, and many more. Games are important components of the modern society. Nowadays, computer games and video games have appealed to many players – especially teenagers but not limited to teenagers. The world of games is very attractive because there are many different kinds of games. Some teenagers even become addicted to games. On the opposite side, teachers and parents are often opposing games. Some people even argue that there should be strict regulations against video games. For example, in schools, they want strict rules to forbidden students from playing games. Others also encourage parents to watch their children closely and regulate their children from playing games for too long. There are debates about whether these proposals are realistic or doable.

At the same time, it is also challenged of whether games should be strictly prohibited. Although games are considered as threats to many parents and teachers, there should not be a strict regulation or ban on games because games can be relaxing for leisure time and games can also connect friends together; furthermore, it is not very difficult to enforce strict regulations on teenagers. Although there are many opposing voices about computer and video games, there are still some positive elements of games because they can create some leisure and relaxing time. When people are stressed, some of them may use games to seek comfort and reliefs. Especially for teenagers just left high school and started attending college, they face a lot of pressures in academic works, personal relationships and in adjusting to the new lifestyle. Many of them will find a hard time to fit in the new life stage, and they might feel different negative attitudes such as depressions, upsets, and frustrations. At this time, many turn to video games to improve their feelings and release some stress. Although most parents and teachers do not want to admit the benefits of games, they should not completely ignore “ video game’s ability to relieve boredom and stress” (Bowman 30).

Many games create thrills, excitement and fun. When playing games, the players do not need to think about the stress in life. Therefore, when teenagers are facing stress and problems in life, they can turn to games to temporarily relieve their stress and negative feelings. Research shows that “ people are playing casual video games to improve their mood and decrease their stress, and herald casual games’ potential in health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment of stress- and mood-related disorders” (PR Newswire Europe Including UK Disclose). People often face difficulties in life, especially teenagers and young adults who are more emotional and less stable. They may need to play games in order to stabilize their moods and cheer up. People argue that there different strategies to relieve stress such as hang out with friends, watch movies, sing or eat. However, playing games should not be marked as wrong compare to other coping strategies. Therefore, there should not be a ban on games in schools or in families. Besides being a good relaxing strategy, games can also connect friends together and help people better with communication. When playing games, people can build strong bonds with their teammates and learn to work as a team. Many games cannot be accomplished by single players. At this time, people need to gather their friends to play the game together. Research suggests that “ sometimes the game tells us a story, or it could be a very competitive game to play with each other, or even be just a generally fun game to play and goof off with your playmate” (Caw197). When playing with playmates, young adults automatically build friendships and connections with each other. They do not need to think of other strategies to make friends. Instead, they make friends naturally when they are playing games. At the same time, many young adults also build their teamwork skills while playing games. The world of games can sometimes be very complicated, and people need to cooperate with others to complete a task.

Therefore, they are working as a team to accomplish a mutual goal. Furthermore, games also provide good communicating topics. For example, when a new game is relieved, teenagers and young adults can talk about the design of the games, talk about the goals they achieved in games, or spend time to play the games together. When young adults are gathering with their friends, they can never grow tired of this topic. If there is a ban on games in schools or at home, many teenagers and young adults will lose an interesting topic. Games are not only about playing. The magic and charm of video games do not only appear in the game itself, but also among the people who are playing it. Therefore, it is considered part of people’s social connections which should not be completely abandoned. Many people can always see the negative effects of games on teenagers, but they should not totally ignore the benefits of games. Indeed, games are often associated with many negative consequences such as increasing violent behaviors, addiction and isolation from the society. There are many reports indicating that teenagers and young adults are too addicted to games. During a research conducted among a sample of World of Warcraft players who play an average of 63 hours per week, “ 12% of those gamers fulfilled diagnostic criteria of addiction concerning their gaming behavior” (van Rooij, Schoenmakers, Vermulst, van den Eijnden and van de Mheen 205). This report indicates that video game is really addictive. Nonetheless, everything has another side. Video games are not only about addiction. Playing video games can improve teenagers from many different perspectives. Indeed, it is not beneficial to play games for a very long time every day, but games are not totally wrong or evil. Aside from the negative consequences of playing video games for too long, reasonable amount of game playing can actually improve the players’ skills from many different perspectives. Scientifically, playing video games can help children “ develop problem-solving skills” (Bowen).

In many games, there are different tasks for players to complete. Some of them may be very difficult which involves a lot of thinking such as steps planning, time managing and problem solving. Many of these skills will not be required outside of games, even in schools. Nonetheless, they are very practical and useful skills that should be valued by schools and parents. At the same time, games are also associated with a cognitive benefit called “ enhanced creativity” (Granic, Lobel, and Engels 69). In some games, such as role play games, the plot and design are not settled. The players are encouraged or sometimes even required to design their own plots. Therefore, young teenagers can use their own imaginations to design their own stories. Outside of games, they may not be given the opportunity to enhance their creativity. Therefore, games should not be completely forbidden because they still have some positive effects. Video and computer games – one of the most appealing productions in the modern society, have attracted the attentions of many players, regardless of their age and gender, while the young generation is often affected the most. Considering the fact that many teenagers and young adults are addicted to video and computer games, many teachers and parents are considering to come up with strict regulations to control teenagers’ playing times. Nonetheless, it is not realistic or appropriate to do so. First of all, some teenagers and young adults really need games to spend their leisure time.

At the same time, games are good coping strategy when people feel stressed or depressed. Furthermore, games are good topics among young teenagers and they can help them build friendships. They are important parts of communication. Even though people argue that games are associated with many negative influences, they cannot completely ignore the benefits of games. Games can improve teenagers from many different perspectives: they can improve their problem-solving skills as well as creativity. Given all these factors, people should understand that completely banning or forbidden games is not a realistic action. Even though some schools and parents are yearning to do that, it is still going to be really hard to regulate. Therefore, people should respect teenagers and young adults’ choices. Although they could be encouraged to use their time wisely, there should not be strict regulations.