The Biggest Social Problems Related to Gaming

Whether you are playing video games or playing multiplayer games, there are a few social problems associated with gaming that you should know about. These include increased screen time, poorer performance in school, and a high risk of addiction.

Increased screen time:

Increasing screen time has been linked to adverse health outcomes, such as weight gain, unfavourable body composition, and cardiometabolic disease. Moreover, more screen time is associated with lower self-esteem in children. It also is associated with more difficulty making friends, distractibility, and difficulty finishing tasks.

Many experts have suggested that screen time is linked to depression and other mental health issues. However, recent high-quality research shows that the connection between screen time and child mental health is much more complex.

One study examined the correlation between screen time and psychological well-being measures. While the association between screen time and all of those above was prominent among adolescents, the associations were relatively small for younger kids. This was a large random sample of children from the United States.

Increased addiction risk:

Increasing addiction risk and social problems related to gaming are growing concerns. In Canada, 19 million people admitted to playing video games regularly in 2015. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reported that almost 12% of Ontario University students exhibited signs of video game addiction.

In Singapore, an international team of researchers found a similar proportion of pathological youth gamers. The study included 3,034 schoolchildren. The researchers found that the prevalence of problematic gaming was similar to other addictive behaviours, such as alcohol use disorder and exercise dependence.

Despite the prevalence of co-occurring addictive behaviours, there is a dearth of empirical studies investigating the co-occurrence of problematic gaming with other addictive behaviours. For example, does gaming positively or negatively impact other addictive behaviours?

Poorer performance in school:

Several studies have indicated that video gaming can hurt academic performance. These effects may be due to properties inherent to gaming behaviour.

Recent research has examined the relationship between video game use and school performance in mathematics and reading. These results do not support earlier suggestions. However, future research should determine whether similar associations remain in secondary schools.

Researchers used data from the PISA 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 22 countries. The study measured academic achievement in math, science, and reading. It included 192,000 students.

A multilevel modelling analysis allowed the relationship between video gaming and academic performance to vary across school sites and countries. After accounting for country-specific variances, ds was calculated as a residual variance. The results indicate that the relationship between gaming and academic performance is too small to be problematic.

The snub of non-white characters:

Considering the sheer number of video games on the market today, it's no wonder that racial diversity has been a buzzword in the industry for ages. One game developer is attempting to do just that with his latest offering, and he's not alone. There are dozens of other companies looking to capitalize on the gaming juggernaut and make a buck. Several have embraced the notion with gusto, while others are just playing coy. These new arrivals will serve as a harbinger of good things. We might even see a few more games of colour shortly.

The big question is: Are more interesting black characters to be found? The answer may be yes, but it's no guarantee.

Increased social anxiety:

Various studies have found that problematic online gaming is associated with social anxiety. Although the exact nature of the relationship is unclear, several factors appear to contribute to this condition.

First, social anxiety disorder predisposes individuals to POG. Specifically, social anxiety causes individuals to fear negative evaluations from others, which can interfere with their ability to interact with others. It can also lead to distorted representations of self and overestimating the likelihood of negative evaluation.

Second, problematic online gaming may be a means to escape social anxiety. In addition, some studies have found that people with social anxiety are more likely to avoid social situations or activities that involve interaction with other people. This avoidance of social interactions weakens social skills.

Third, people with social anxiety often perceive online gaming as a safe social environment. This perception makes them more likely to engage in internet-related activities.

Author Bio:

 Carmen Troy is a research-based content writer for Essays. Uk, Dissertation services Uk. They provide Dissertation writing services, Dissertation proposal writing Help and many more services to students of all levels, and their experts are all UK-qualified.  Mr Carmen holds a PhD degree in mass communication. He loves to express his views on various issues, including education, technology, and more.