Children these days are often seen playing video games instead of engaging in sport activities. While this phenomenon clearly has some negative implications for children’s health and social life, I have reasons to believe it is a change for the better.
Initially, it is important to acknowledge some dangers of growing obsession with computer games among children. Computer games are said to cause health problems, which range from bad posture, vision impairment to overweightness. These issues arise when children develop poor habits as a result of playing video games such as excessive sitting, screen time and snacking, putting children’s health at considerable risk. Adding to this problem is poor social life. Having been deprived of social interactions in the real world due to computer games, children will have difficulties making friends and socializing. This, in turn, leads to feelings of alienation and depression, which undermine their emotional well-being.
Despite these concerns, I am still convinced that a shift from sports to computer games in children’s leisure time is a positive development. This is because computer games greatly aid them in their cognitive development since such games involve challenges requiring critical thinking and problem solving skills. Among Us is a video game in which children need to understand and navigate complex dialogues between characters and solve puzzles to accomplish missions. Reinforcement of such mental skills in children at an early age through exposure to computer games will mean better performance at school and later in life. Additionally, video games help build computer skills including keyboard navigation, hand-eye coordination and online networking, of all which are essential in today’s digitalized world. Whether it be in their personal life or professional career, children are sure to benefit from computer skills, making video games a worthwhile investment compared to sports.
In conclusion, regardless of the problems associated with video games, I reckon that the growing tendency among children to forgo sports to play video games is a favorable change as the latter facilitates critical cognitive development and computer skills.