Virtual Addiction
In a commercial world of advancing technology and electronic entertainment, people have become virtual addicts. There are certain things that cause this addiction. Computer games are electronic games that are addictive. Played on a computer or on a console system such as the Sony Play station, these games can occupy a person for countless hours. Through computer gaming, people escape their reality which includes school and work. In a virtual world, mistakes can be undone and time can renew itself with the push of a few buttons. Through gaming, a person can experience his or her fantasies that he or she cannot experience in real life. Computer games are addictive because they allow people to escape reality, offer challenges, provide a world where mistakes can be undone and allow people to experience their dreams which they cannot experience in real life. For the young Video games direct their minds away from education and veer them towards the virtual world.
According to Doctor Cairn of the University of Texas, people, especially male children, are spending too much time on video games and not enough time on schoolwork or with their family. Computer game companies have proven that people under eighteen years of age play video games to a point of addiction because they want to evade pressures in their lives. People often consider a job or their family life to be boring and tedious. A video game takes away that feeling by giving garners a feeling of excitement. Many people who are video game addicts are those who feel they have boring, mundane lives. Through gaming, they can experience the excitement that they feel they are lacking in their real lives. However, the idea of escaping the reality of work or family soon turns into neglect as the gamer becomes more addicted. People forget about their jobs and their families and only focus about the game.
Furthermore, video games are addictive in that they present a world where mistakes can be undone. Inside a video game world, nothing is real. Rules that govern reality such as death or time can be broken. If the user’s character is defeated during game play, the character can start over. A person can explore a virtual world over and over which ultimately causes addiction. Inside a computer game, a character can experience injury or death without doing any actual harm to the user in real life. The idea of cheating death and injury in a computer game is appealing to people because the game does not harm them physically in real life.
In addition, computer games create fantasies that people cannot experience in real life which makes them addictive. People have dreams and fantasies that they cannot experience in the real world. Game companies generate these fantasies through their games. Some of the most common things people want to be are a knight in shining armour, a professional athlete or a secret agent saving the world. These are exciting, unique lifestyles that are definitely not common. Therefore, by generating people’s fantasies through a virtual world, people become addicted to playing video games.
As a social disorder this virtual addiction can lead to psychological dysfunction in human beings when they are not able to face the challenges or relive the fantasy of the virtual world in the real world. This conflict can then lead to low self esteem and personality disorders. Thus one needs to keep a check on the amount of time that is being spent in this virtual world. With the help of parents and society, guidance to avoid and reduce this addiction needs to be provided.
