In this age of technology when machines and gadgets have apparently made our lives easier than ever, the sad reality is bats and balls have been replaced by keyboards and mouse. The brightness and contrast option of the screen determines the vibrancy of the colour of the outfield. Be it scoring a goal or picking up a wicket or winning a bike race, it is no more important to sweat it out on the arena. The Kohlis and the Ronaldos of virtual gaming has hardly ever spent an evening in a playground.
Although the number of adult who play computer games is rising with every passing day, kids and teenagers are still the primary targets of the designers of virtual games. Virtual games are indeed thrilling but they can never match the excitement could be derived under the sky. In fact, child psychiatrist, Dr Mrinal Bose reckons that computer games are a curse for children who play it on a regular basis. “When a child plays outdoor games, he or she is bound to remain fit both mentally and physically. Computer games practically have got nothing to offer,” said Dr Bose while being interviewed by MSMN.
While speaking about the utilities of playing outdoor team sports, Dr Bose said that it helps a child to realise the true meaning of unity. Being involved in outdoor sports like cricket, football and hockey ingrains in the psyche of a child the fact that the unit (team) must be keep ahead of any individual. “It is only by playing outdoor team games that a kid will realise the vitality of being a team player. Kids will learn to be selfless for the benefit of the team and the other players. In the long run, this attitude will play a crucial role in building his or her character,” observed Dr Bose.
Walking down the memory lane, Dr Bose talked about the days of his childhood when he used to play cricket, football,, kabaddi and badminton in an alley near his North Kolkata residence. “No one could stop me from playing in the evenings. In those days, it was really difficult to find a place to play in play grounds during evenings. So, we used to play in a small alley near my house. But nowadays, even during the vacations, play grounds hardy get filled up. It’s such a shame.”
The list of problems that computer games create is long. He blames action filled fighting games for disturbing the mental balance among kids. According to him, these games have extremely long lasting impact on child psyche and are largely responsible for provoking them to commit violent acts.
“I have been observing the rise in the aggressiveness among school kids of age between 9 to 14 years. Every 3 out of 5 kids who play combative games are showing traits of hostility in their real life activities.”
While talking about the reason behind this, Dr Bose said that audio visual medium is extremely manipulative and it literally transports one to a world of hyper reality and as far as kids are concerned they try to imitate everything they find attractive and thus are more prone to being influenced.
“The main problem is not the violence they (kids) are committing but the reason behind it. At the level of subconscious, the imageries projected by the virtual games have replaced reality,” added Dr Bose.
Dr Bose also said that apart from disrupting the mental stability among kids, computer games are making kids fall prey to obesity.
