The craze of online gaming on youth

With the increasing accessibility of the internet in the far outskirts, with the big smartphone market prevailing in the country, Digital gaming is snowballing in India. The youngsters remain glued to their mobile and laptop screens for hours playing games. The addiction to internet games is making colossal buzz. The background, the characters, excellent graphics, and the difficulty level created by the game developers keep today’s generation hooked to internet games. The youth has become excited with the advent of internet games and online games, which are doing great business & providing considerable profits to the game developers & selling sites.

PUBG-Mobile Addicting Game 

One of the recent games that have captured the youth’s interest today is PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds). It is a multiplayer shooting game played on mobile phones and requires an internet connection. The other popular games are Ludo King, Clash of Clans, and Pokemon Go. According to Sensor Tower, PUBG Mobile sees the highest number of downloads in India. The report states that India holds the lions share in downloads, with over 175 million downloads. A more recent report suggests that the game had been downloaded more than 200 million times in India just before the ban. But to surprise, this game is hampering their quality
of life. 

Impact of Game Addiction

• The mobile game addiction interferes significantly with the studies of a student. The addiction causes neglect of studies, skimping concentration towards studies, which ultimately leads to productivity decline.
• Any game addiction slows down brain activity. The ability to grasp things and focussing just lowers. Even research studies suggest that the academic performance of PUBG players is dropped massively.
• Similarly, for working individuals, online gaming addiction hampers their work and makes them lose their goals. They may also miss their deadlines and may become incompetent.
• Mobile game addiction has also resulted in ruining people’s relationships because of the skimping time spent with friends and family. It strains their relationships and causes pain.
• One of the most severe issues that emerged with increasing online mobile gaming addiction was that people became more intolerant towards defeat, leading to brutal crimes like death threats and murder in a few cases of PUBG gaming.
• It decreases interpersonal relationships, family relationships, physical activity, increased eyestrain, obesity, and other severe health impacts. 
• It can even cause personality changes and ethics and even self-restraint. When computer games get in a student’s way, nothing more will be left, but tired eyes, empty pockets, and school and homework piles unattended.
• Also, obsession with the ongoing trend becomes a way of a showoff and those who don’t follow this up are looked down upon.

Case-Studies regarding Online Mobile Game addiction

• In one such case that has come to light in Kalyan city near Mumbai, on Feb 6, 2020, a 27- year-old man stabbed his sister’s fiance after a virtual gaming clash.
• In another incident, New Delhi, on 11 Feb, a man left his pregnant wife due to the addiction to this online game. The man used to play PUBG all night, neglecting all his responsibilities towards the family.
• There have been continuous pleas by parents and teachers regarding the decline in the studies and student performance.

How to Control Mobile Game Addiction?

The age-long saying excess of anything is terrible holds true, be it a video game or anything. However, one must also remember that anything can be controlled by proper safety measures. 

• To begin with, one should try to lessen the time they spend on the game. Leaving it all of a sudden is an impractical notion, so set aside a fixed time and try to play only during that time.
• Secondly, it is essential to fill the void of gaming with some other creative stuff like reading books, painting, writing journals, etc. This way, our mind is diverted without feeling shallow.
• One of the best substitutes for mobile gaming is to go outside and play some outdoor games with your friends, family. When you have other fun activities to do, your mind won’t keep running towards the mobile game.
• Try to spend more time with your family, friends instead of scrolling through the phone or playing your mobile game. Being around your loved ones will surely distract you from the game. So, utilize your time wisely.

Conclusion

Online gaming affects people in both positive and negative ways. Undoubtedly there is an excellent opportunity for educators. Here, the educational content, values, and attitude modification can be delivered to the youth in their chosen mode. Lesson contexts can be gamified, and student’s involvement in the learning process can be enhanced. To spread
awareness regarding the issues causing the misuse or overuse of online games is the hour’s need. Online gaming should only be used as a recreation, not as an addiction.