final draft discussion essay

Name                           : Rindu Perkasa

Class                            : K2

Student Id Number     :1300951

Discussion Essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Games

            In this modren and full of new invention era, everyone might like playing electronic games. Electronic games are any kinds of games that use electronic devices. Electronic games are created to entertain. They are designed as interesting as possible to give maximal satisfaction. In another word, electronic games are something that can be played with their own rules. There is no big deal about playing electonic games, but most of nowadays kids even adult people addicted to spend their time playing electronic games. Actually, electronic games give some advantages to the palyers, but they will bring a number of disadvantages when they are played upnormaly.

            The first disadvantage of playing electonic games is on health specially the physical health. There is no significant movement that we do when we are playing them. Sitting for hours can increase the risk of obesity, sleep disturbances, headaches, dry eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscular diseases, as well as skeletal and postural disorders in kids. Other health effects include agitation, increased heart rate, and high blood pressure. Still another health effect is damaging visibility. When we are playing electronic games, we focus on the screen whose rays consist of strong radiation. In addition, playing electronic games also influences psychological health. This is caused by lack of socialize that the gamers do. When they spend most of the time to play electronic games, they do not have enough chance to socialize that determine their psycological health.

            Players of the electronic games have a big possibility become addicted to those games. The games provide a high level of quick gratification. We are almost constantly being rewarded, and when we lose, we can continue the games again since our best progress easly. As a result, for childen who spends a lot of time playing games will influence them to ignore their studies resulting poor academic performance, cutting school, and dropping out of school. On the other hand, numerous deaths have been reported from around the world because of playing video games for hours, days, weeks, or months obsessively. In 2005, a 28-years-old man from South Korea collapsed and died of cardiac arrest because of playing World of Warcraft and StarCraft games for 50 straight hours. In October 2007, a teenager from Ohio (USA) shot his parents for taking away his copy of the game Halo 3. A Korean couple, in 2009, spent hours playing video games, neglecting their 3-months old baby, who died from malnutrition and dehydration. A 16-years-old man from South Philadelphia (USA) killed his mother in the year 2010 for confiscating his PSP.

            Many video games these days include weapons and an objects that involve killing or having to injure someone. Of course, it would be terrible if a child killed someone in the real world. According to Violent Video Games (2010), “Playing violent video games can make some adolescents more hostile, particularly those who are less agreeable, less conscientious and easily angered.” There are good and bad games, and good and bad ways to use them (Chatfield, 2010). Blake (2006) found that “When kids play these games and see their favorite character commit some type of violent action, they want to repeat it.” Another negative affect that video games have on children is that they can put a bad image of women into their heads. Blake (2006) discovered that, “Women are not usually used in video games, and when they are, their purpose is usually sex appeal.” This causes children to think of women as just good looking objects to have sexual relations with. The worse one is video games hook children as playing and winning boosts their morale. The University of Calgary conducted an online survey on children aged 9-15 years who play mature and violent video games concludes that it has a direct relation with tendencies like bullying, becoming abusive, beating, or clobbering siblings or peers.

            Altough elctronic games effect three main disadvantages, it also gives a number of advantages.  The first one is to practice more and more in order to be the best. A study conducted by the University of Rochester states that, "Gamers perform better in tests that involve focus, speed, multi-tasking, vision, and accuracy than others or non-gamers." So, playing video games can teach your children to concentrate, plan, different strategies to reach their goal, perform multi tasks at the same time and learn how to handle
complex situations.

            Playing electronis games may play a significant role in fulfilling several psychological needs of humans. It may enhance a child's motor coordination and ability to think quickly and analyze a situation. Video games require that the player can use a controller while looking at a television screen. According to Impact of Video Games on Children (n.d), “This causes the player to train their manual dexterity and can make it better.” Video games have been proven to be much better for you than watching television. Manali Oak (n.d) found that, “This is because video games are interactive; the player has to think a little bit and analyze the situation they are in.” Playing video games involves problem solving, planning, estimation and analysis of the moves or actions of both you and your opponent.

According to Manali Oak (n.d), “This affects the player positively by developing in him/her problem-solving skills, analytical and estimation skills and quick decision-making”. Video games can help learn lifelong skills. One of these is resource management. Children might have to manage their time or things. Manali Oak (n.d) discovered that when you play video games, “You learn to recognize types of situations and react to them quickly.” Some children have social disorders where they lack self-confidence. Playing video games can actually be used in therapy for social disorders such as these. A child gets a sense of participation, a sense of achievement. Children, after playing video games begin to feel excited about their lives, they start feeling positive and enthusiastic. Manali Oak (n.d) found that, “This enables them to defeat their psychological disorders to a certain extent.”

In conclusion, electronic games are fun and entertaining. We may decrease and increase both of advantages and disadvantages of playing them. It dapends on our wiseness. We absolutely may maximize the advantages of playing it by palying educated electronic games when we does not have any important jobs to do.

Adapted from

1. http://mbsform6esl.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-advantage-and-disadvantage-of_1539.html

2. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-video-games-on-children.html

3. http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_computer_games

4. http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Video_Games_Cons/

5. http://arunnura.hubpages.com/hub/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Playing-Video-Games