by “Oodi Vilaiyadu Pappa, Nee Ooynthirukkalagathu Pappa”
This translates to : Go out and play, Kid. You shouldn’t be inactive and be lazy”
Yet the situation these days is entirely opposite. Kids are either in school or in coaching classes, while the remainder of the time playing video games
Back in our childhood, despite the presence of small video games, it was only as a hobby and not a primary playing option. Evenings were always about playing cricket in terrace, grounds and even in street corners. As we ran along to chase that ball with full speed, we spent every bit of energy we had and thereby ensuring a completely active lifestyle
If not cricket, it would either be a tennis coaching class or a swimming class or even football in some places. Everyone knew the importance of an active lifestyle
Unfortunately, the rise in popularity of PC and console video games has diminished any available playing time for kids. Kids sit in front of the PC the entire evening every day and probably the whole day on weekends. These addictive games make them sit in the system for hours together without a break. These video games, though fun can have a long lasting negative impact on the kid. Here’s some of them
Eyes : Eyes are the first thing that gets affected when subjected to long hours of video games. Be it a TV or a PC , the eye takes the maximum strain while playing a video game. The blinking rate reduces, eye power increases and major pressure is applied on the retina. Wearing glasses will be an eventuality in just a few years
Fitness and Health : With no physical activity and just video games, it can have a delirious effect on the kids. Energy is not spent and gets converted to fat. The kids can also fall sick quite easily due to low resistance. The food is not digested properly added to the mental stress on the kids, which can affect them very badly. Even though going to a gym is not advisable for kids below 18 years, atleast a physical activity like running, exercising, jogging, playing cricket or football, 2-3 times a week is important
Violence : Almost all the games glorify violence including killing, shooting, committing crimes and escaping etc. The impact of violence on kids at such young ages can be disastrous. They will have negative thoughts; all the moral disciplines they grow up with will be lost and even try to replicate what they see in the games in real life
Exam Scores: With more gaming, their concentration towards studies and exams will fade off. They have lesser time to study and end up scoring very less marks in exam.
