Video games and social isolation in children

Negative Aspects of Video Games on Children

The Negative Impact of Video Games on Children

There is an abundance of research that suggests video games over time can lead to a lack of socialization in children, greater tendency towards violence and a sedentary lifestyle that threatens their health over the long-term. All of these factors are contributing to children not attaining the full intellectual, social, and physical potential as teenagers and later, as adults. The patterns of being sedentary and relying on simulated realty in video games sets a dangerous course later through adolescence and adulthood of isolation and lack of continual intellectual, social and physical development.

Background

Having seen friends and family become detached from people and more attached to virtual characters including entire virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, I've seen how dramatic the intellectual and social isolation is. There is also a tendency on the part of children who get so engrossed with World of Warcraft to often mistake queues in actual reality for those in virtual worlds, and the results are both humorous and sad at the same time. Clearly too much video game use, in the order of over eight to ten hours a day, is a major impediment to cognitive development and the ability to acquire social skills.

Research Plan

The following is the research plan for evaluating the negative effects of video games on children. First, a thorough secondary literature review and an assessment of available dissertations and theses on the subject, the goal will be to determine the cause-and-effect of prolonger video game use on the psychological stability of children. These are to be clear not children who play for a few hours each day, they are the ones who are playing for up to eight to ten hours a day. Second, the research from the dissertations, thesis and published journals discovered during the first step will be summarized into a table of results. The intent of this effort is to define the cause-and-effect factors that lead parents to allow their children to be some detached and consumed in these games. Third, an action plan will be defined for how to raise public awareness and assist parents in setting better constraints and parameters for the use of video games in the future.

Outline

I. Introduction

A. Why video games are harmful to children

B. Research points to social isolation, slowed socialization skills and sedentary lifestyles

C. Long-term effects on emotional and physical health can be significant

D. Confusion of virtual reality and real reality

II. Background

A. World of Warcraft addict in my family and in our circle of friends would rather play WoW than be with family or go out and have fun

B. WoW has become the primary purpose for the development of online friendships

C. Overnight sleep-overs are really all-night play sessions on WoW and other online games

III. Purpose

A. Bring balance back into children's lives

B. Avert social isolation, lack of mental development and avert disease and obesity from being sedentary all the time

IV. Research Plan

A. Literature Review of dissertations and theses

B. Review of existing academic studies

C. Creation of a comparison table of results

D. Action Plan for Parents and Families to avert Internet gaming addiction