Computer Addiction

Constant Gaming is a mental illness which causes the excessive use of computers to the extent that it interferes with daily life. Excessive use may explain problems in social interaction, mood, personality, work ethic, relationships, thought processes, or sleep deprivation. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not include a diagnosis for such a disease. Some people develop bad habits in their computer use that cause them significant problems in their lives. The types of behavior and negative consequences are similar to those of known addictive disorders. This type of addiction is very alarming and can truly affect anyone and everyone who is on the computer a lot. Technology is something that everyone has and it is something that is constantly developing and changing however, there is a difference between appreciating the computer for everything it can offer and being addicted to it.

Another form of constant gaming is online gaming. This can be in the form of World of Warcraft or even something as simple as The Sims. There are many different kinds of computer games out there and the better you get at them, the better you feel and that is what is soaddicting. Constant gaming is a worrying aspect of the modern-day technologically able youth. Many children spend hours a day on computers, so much so that computers have become a primary source of entertainment for them , as well as a convenient baby-sitter for parents. Throughout this guide, the details of constant gaming will be discussed, such as addiction signs, solutions to the problems and alternatives to computers for entertainment. Constant gaming refers to the excessive amounts of time spent on the computer. The preoccupation can cause problems with relationships and even with work performance. The time spent on the computer does not refer to work-related activities. From the time computer games made their way into family homes, parents have wondered if violent video games may negatively affect children and teenagers. Today, parents still worry about the effects of violent computer games and of course it also remains a popular topic for the media.

However, with a growing up number of children and teens spending excessive time playing computer games, perhaps parents should be more worried about teenagers addicted to computer games than effects of violent video games. An examination of the literature reveals that those who study video game addiction sometimes disagree on the proportion of children and teenagers addicted to computer games. However, the majority of studies suggest that approximately 5 to 10% of youth who play computer games become addicted. Compared to other psychological difficulties (such as depression and anxiety), teenage computer game addiction is obviously a relatively new problem faced by families. As such, parents may lack accurate and/or helpful information on the signs of computer game addiction, the risk factors for video game addiction, and strategies for helping teenagers addicted to computer games after problem develops. As more therapist work with teenagers addicted to computer games and more researchers study the problem, they are becoming better and detecting the signs of addiction to computer games.

Still, there is much confusion about exactly what computer game addiction is and how parents can help a teenager who seems far more interested in playing in a virtual world than living in the real world. It is known that we are leaving in technological era. The computers become irreplaceable tool in everyday life of almost each person. The adult users generally use it for business purposes while youngsters for computer games. Computers became the part of our life and very important component in the spheres of the life is leisure. And nowadays majority of young people spend their leisure time playing computer games, surfing through the internet. Computer games have become one of the favorite time-spending of young people in all ages, and even some adults and the students.

With permanent development of computer technology the quality of people using computer either for working purposes or entertainment purposes is increasing speedily. There are many things that causes addiction to computer games, one reason being, is that most students just need something to occupy their time and these games do that for countless hours. Some students use computer gaming’s to escape their reality which can include school, work and possibly personal problems. Computer games also represent students to challenges that they can overcome so they can feel a sense of accomplishments in virtual world, mistakes can be undone and time can review itself with a push of a few buttons. Computer gaming and the internet have become entrenched features of our daily lives. Computer use has reached beyond work and is now a major source of fun and entertainment for many people.

For most people, computer game play is integrated into their lives in a balanced healthy manner. For others, time spent on the computer is out of balance, and his displaced work, school, friends, and even family. When time spent on the computer, playing computer games reaches a point that it harms a child’s or adult’s family and social relationships, or disrupts school or work life that person may be caught in a cycle of addiction. Like other addictions, the computer game has replaced friends and family as the source of a person’s emotional life. Increasingly, to feel good, the addicted person spends more time playing computer games or searching the internet. Time away from the computer or game causes moodiness or withdrawal.

Related literature
Computer games are today an important part of most children’s leisure lives and increasingly an important part of our culture as a whole. We often, as adults, watch in amazement as children dedicate hours to acting as football coaches, designers of empires, controllers of robots, wizards and emperors. In the past, computer games have been dismissed as a distraction from more ‘worthy’ activities, such as homework or playing outside. Today, however, researchers, teachers and designers of learning resources are beginning to ask how this powerful new medium might be used to support children’s learning. Rather than shutting the door of the school against the computer game, there is now increasing interest in asking whether computer games might be offering a powerful new resource to support learning in the information age.

This review is intended as a timely introduction to current thinking about the role of computer games in supporting children’s learning inside and out of school. It highlights the key areas of research in the field, in particular the increasing interest in pleasurable learning, learning through doing and learning through collaboration that games seem to offer. At the same time, the review takes a measured tone in acknowledging some of the obstacles and challenges to using games within our current education system and within our current models of learning. It goes on to propose some ways in which designers, researchers and educational policy makers might draw on the growing body of research in the field to create learning resources and environments that go beyond a sugar-coating of ‘fun’ to the full engagement that computer games seem to offer so many children today.

AIMS

This review provides:
• A summary of the contemporary state of the computer and video gaming industry, market and culture • An overview of the main developments in research into gaming and the educational relevance of video games and a summary of the literature resulting from this research • A basis for communication between the educational research community and the commercial sector on the subject of the use of games technologies in the design of learning resources • A basis for discussion within educational communities on the use of digital games within educational settings.

CONTEXT

Computer games are a growing part of our culture; the global market is worth billions of dollars, related activities range from published magazines to spontaneous internet communities, and the impact of games play on young people has attracted significant interest from the popular media. Three quarters of children play regularly – is this harmful or beneficial, are they learning as they play, and if so what? This review considers the findings of research into the relationship between games and players, and the theoretical and actual implications for learning. The research evidence is complex, and thinly spread. The study of computer games, or game players, cannot be mapped onto one research discipline. Relevant areas of study include, but are not limited to computer science, education, psychology, youth and media and cultural studies.

As a result, aspects of investigation into games and game players can ‘straddle’ several different academic disciplines. As games have become more complex in terms of graphics, complexity, interaction and narrative, so a variety of genres have come to dominate the market. There is, however, no standard categorization of such games; different stakeholders in the games industry game outlets, developers, academics, web review sites, use taxonomy appropriate to their own audience. Nonetheless the differences between genres, and even between games within one genre, differentiate the way they are played, and their potential to support learning. Thus attempts to generalize the effect of games or gaming may be unhelpful. Perhaps as a result of the diversity and complexity of games themselves, and the range of perspectives taken by researchers, there are few hard and fast findings in the literature. In order to better understand games and game play, and how they contribute to learning, it may be necessary to distinguish more clearly the nature of gaming and the nature of learning and the learner.

GAMES AND GAMERS

Researchers and commentators have attempted to understand the lure of computer games. This has been characterized as a combination of fantasy, challenge and curiosity, and a level of engagement described as ‘flow’ where players become oblivious to distractions. Concern has been expressed that this leads to a neglect of other activities, often assumed to be automatically more worthy. Other authors see games play as inherently valuable, leading to a development of a range of skills and competences that may transfer to other social and work-related uses of digital technologies. The debate around violence and gaming is as yet unresolved. There are two perspectives; that games increase aggression or that games provide a release for pent-up aggression. In all likelihood both are legitimate conclusions, and the outcomes varies with game and player. Gender is a common subject of games related research, focusing mainly on the image of females within games, or the role of gender in influencing games play. There are few clear outcomes, but the proportion of gamers who are female seems to be growing and this may be related to the increase in social gaming through on and offline multiplayer options.

GAMES AND EDUCATION

Research into the use of mainstream games in education is relatively novel, but growing rapidly. Research is mainly concerned with the development of related competences and literacy’s during game play, or the role of games in the formation of learning communities either while gaming or related to game play. Use of mainstream games in schools remains rare, and is unlikely to be integrated into the curriculum. Reasons for this include:

• It is difficult for teachers to identify quickly how a particular game is relevant to some component of the statutory curriculum, as well as the accuracy and appropriateness of the content within the game • The difficulty in persuading other school stakeholders as to the potential/actual educational benefits of computer games • The lack of time available to teachers to familiarize themselves with the game, and methods of producing the best results from its use • The amount of irrelevant content or functionality in a game which could not be removed or ignored, thus wasting valuable lesson time.

Nonetheless, teachers and parents recognized that games play can support valuable skill development, such as:

• Strategic thinking
• Planning
• Communication
• Application of numbers
• Negotiating skills
• Group decision-making
• Data-handling.

Significantly the experience of game play seems to be affecting learners’ expectations of learning activities. Preferred tasks are fast, active and exploratory, with information supplied in multiple forms in parallel. Traditional school-based learning may not meet these demands.

http://telearn.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/19/04/53/PDF/kirriemuir-j-2004-r8.pdf

Methodology

The study was done by using a descriptive methodology of research. There are many kinds of descriptive research, but the researchers had chosen to use the qualitative research design by interviewing respondents that are engage in computer addicting to gather data. The researchers believe that this design is appropriate on this topic because it is easier to collect data coming from the respondents and to merely find and describe how important of performance than computer addicting, they would get irritable and start avoiding performing in school.