Parents are often at their wit’s end when their little kids want to be the pride owners of toy weapons or action packed video games. Kids try to reason out that it is nothing more than just a child’s play but parents see something more to it. Aggression, frustration, impulsive behavior, and lack of social behavior are some of the serious issues that parents are worried about. Sadly, this is the truth and in most cases, toy guns, rifles and action flicks steal away the innocence from the childhood years.
Steer your kids away from war and action games
A lot of research has been done on the negative effects of games which contain violence. In most cases, these games provide a sense of power to the participants and children love to feel powerful. Unfortunately, the problem arises when they try to assert themselves powerful in real life too. There are more issues concerning these action games which need attention to ensure a happy childhood. Read on to find out about the devastating effects that might happen to a child who has a soft corner for war play.
1. Aggressive tales
It is a fact that children who spend most of their time in participating in any form of violence play are more likely to be aggressive in real life. Though they pretend to play, they are hardly successful in coming out of the pretensions. This results in an aggressive behavior in practical life too where they seem to win over by taking course to violence. These kids tend to forget where to draw the line and seldom imagine themselves in a game in real life circumstances too.
2. Being hyper
In war games, kids tend to become extremely hyperactive because these games are all about action and fast moves. You need to make a move fast or else the opponent wins. Children try to apply the same techniques in their real life situations too. When they face a situation which is time consuming they are fidgety and tend to feel dejected. In most cases, these children have a tough time at school or any social gathering where they need to follow certain norms.
3. Zero tolerance
Video games which contain violence destroy the social etiquette and other sensitive feelings of children such as helping friends, patience and tolerance. These children exhibit violent actions in every situation and if they dislike any situation they immediately want to solve it through violent means. The worst effect of a violence video game is that in this game every aggressive behavior is rewarded and there are points on the intensity of violence a participant exhibits. Hence, these games instill vengeance, aggression and wrong values in the minds of the kids. Non-violence and negotiation do not exist in the kid’s world anymore. Children can hardly distinguish between fantasy and reality and become immune to the gory sights of killing, stabbing and shooting which translate to mere fun in their terminology.
4. Lack of creative and social pursuits
Childhood is one of the most vital periods to form social development. Unfortunately, children who participate in video games become just as a couch potato and hate going out and meeting people. They hesitate to hang out with friends or spending time with family and this takes a toll on their health and academic performances too. Games reflecting intense violence stifle the imagination of the child resulting in the loss of creativity and problem solving attitude.
5. Misconduct
Some of the action flicks video games are too damaging for a child’s psyche. In most of them, women characters are portrayed weak, vulnerable or helpless. Moreover, the language and behavior used in these games are inappropriate for children. Children tend to follow the characters of the game blindly and pick up the bad behavior and language. Most of the times they do not comprehend certain behavior of the characters in the game and this gives way to anxiety and depression in them.
6. Serious troubles
Personality of children gets affected badly when they get too much involved in war video games. They no longer take interest in caring, sharing or feeling for their peers. Team spirit and cooperation do not hold value for them anymore. Verbal memory is affected in such children; communication skills and memory retention are badly affected in most of the cases. Too much exposure to war video games cause disturbance in the normal sleep pattern and thus affects the brain too.
The bottom line
Though toy guns and war play seem to be harmless and evoke innocent play, on a deeper level, war play disrupts the healthy development of a child. Many people argue that these games provide an outlet for the children to release their repressed emotions but in most cases, war play does more bad than good. In case, children insist on war play, it is always advisable to monitor them and let them know the difference between reality and fantasy. Playing video games should also be limited and parents need to spend time with children playing games which foster healthy traits in them. War play is not fun; it takes away the fun-filled life of a child.
