Bini Dahal

There is a close connection between games and mental health. In the most competitive world of science and technology, games have become part and parcel of the growing young population. Young gamers today tend to go deep into the virtual world of games only to forget about the real struggles and challenges of the real world where they live in. Such is the power of games. The addiction is so strong to the point that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has termed it as “gaming disorder”.

In May 2019, a 16-year-old boy from Neemuch town of Madhya Pradesh in India died of cardiac arrest after playing Player Unknown’s Battleground (PUBG) for six hours straight. According to reports, the teenager got angry with his game partner only to suffer from the sudden heart attack.
Another incident was that of a college student and a group of children who fled from home when they were scolded by their parents for being addicted to the popular game. Just from these incidents, we can get a clear picture about what a game can do to a teenager’s mind.

The main idea behind the development of different types of game is to provide entertainment to its users. And there is no point denying that games are an integral part of the stressful and busy lives of people. It is a kind of distraction for the players: from their studies or from their jobs. While playing games, we develop various skills. We become more analytical and use our brain more to pass each level and achieve a success. So, once a player wins a game, he/she gets the hang of it and his/her liking for games turn into addiction.

What is worth keeping in our mind is that the obsession for games is much stronger than drug addiction. As a result, the player becomes unable to shift his/her concentration towards daily activities of life like studies and jobs. His/her love for games can make him/her become forgetful about his/her duties and responsibilities. He/she also gets detached from his/her family members and relatives because the game causes him/her to enjoy his time alone and also become impulsive in nature. All this is caused by the simple human creation—the games. And the effect is greater among young people, especially teenagers.

There may be many contradictory thoughts presented in regard with playing video games about how it can help our brain with visuospatial skills, memory and also attention and those games are not responsible for creating anti-social behaviours among youths. But one point to be remembered is that most of the games are made addictive to gain more players and this is the reason why players cannot stop playing.

If there is game playing, it is all highly competitive and the term moderate play is nowhere to be seen. How can a young person not get tempted from playing games and not suffer from mood disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression or stress? Forcing them to stop their leisure activities will cause quarrels. That is why the parents are required to minimise their children’s time to play games and help them live a life of reality and not of fantasy.