The author discusses their experience with video games from a young age and how gaming has evolved over time with more advanced graphics, online play, and social features. They acknowledge that while some games can be educational, many games are primarily for entertainment which can increase risks of addiction, especially for children who have unlimited access through devices. The author believes labeling compulsive gaming as an addiction is helpful for awareness and prevention. Parents must take responsibility by setting rules around game content and time limits to prevent children from becoming addicted to video games and experiencing negative impacts on school, sleep, social life and behavior.

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Brenda Sands
Student ID: 0004857025
English Composition
4.4 Assignment: Show What You Know
Video Gaming: What Every Parent Should Know
I’ve had my fair share of video gaming from a young age. With only one sibling, my
older brother, I’ve been exposed to several different genres of games because of him. My
personal favorites were the regular racing games and WWE fighting games on the first-
generation Xbox console but, I never really got into it as much as my brother. There were times
where I would wake up in the morning, meet my brother playing vivaciously, and as the
inquisitive child I was, I would sit beside him and simply watch— utterly fascinated. Before I
knew it, my mom is trying to pry my brother from his game controller, reminding him that it’s
time for bed. Games are engrossing and gaming is evolving. I can remember when video games
and gaming consoles didn’t have 3d visuals, online gaming, integrated streaming, and social
media features. Now, gaming has become more generalized, more accessible, more advanced,
and more appealing.
In a documented conversation with The News Guard “ADDICTION: School officials
take action to ease youth video game addiction,” Lincoln County School District Superintendent
Dr. Karen Gray, explains that children have unlimited access to different electronic devices on
which they play games (2019). And honestly, I wholly agree. I’m not saying that parents should
stop rewarding their kids with that new Play Station 4 they wanted, or an Xbox One, or a new

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iPhone but, with these fancy new gadgets and advanced games, the possibilities are endless.
There are more games published mainly for entertainment than education, and games made for
entertainment purposes only seem to attract more kids. Gray points out that “Although most
parents would be quite happy if their child's computer gaming was limited to educational
programs, the reality is that the computer games children play are primarily for pure
entertainment, not for education” (2019). Don't get me wrong, I think that there are very good
games that are educational in some way, such as Kahoot, for example. While children are
playing, they are enhancing their cognitive skills. But, too much of one thing is never good,
which is why any type of game should be played in moderation.
In Marc Lewis’s article “Are video games really addictive?”, he states that playing video
games is beneficial to children’s mental health (2018). But Lewis also mentions that games are
developing and becoming more appealing which increases the risk of addiction (2018). I would
say that compulsive gaming is a real addiction that many avid gamers who are equally children
and adults, deal with. Lewis, in his article, expresses: “But is addiction to video games a “real”
addiction? Is an obsession with Fortnite as bad as an alcohol problem?” (2018). The answer is
yes. Well, at least that's just my opinion from my personal experience. I've seen the adverse
effects of gaming addiction, it's like any other substance or behavioral addiction. Children that
play video games excessively experience problems in school, they develop sleeping disorders
because of the countless number of hours they play a game, they tend to lose friends, loss of
appetite and exert anger on others (Gray, 2019).
Lewis states that “The danger for us may be creating a mental “illness” that didn’t
previously exist” (2018). I for one, disagree. This is how I see it—labeling compulsive gaming as
addiction does not place any harm or danger on children and adults that adore the adventures of

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playing video games. Bringing awareness to something likely to happen but can be stopped in
time is extremely helpful and encouraging, especially to parents with children.
We all know that parents are huge contributors to shaping a child's adult life. The
wellbeing of a child is in the hands of parents and guardians. Parents must take responsibility and
the necessary precautions to ensure that their children do not become addicted to video games.
With the authority that parents have, it is simple to set rules and obligations towards which
games are allowed, when it should be played, and when it shouldn’t. Kids need their parents.
Although many children may not realize it because it seems as though parents are spoiling their
fun by placing rules on gaming. Years from now, when problematic video game playing has
increased and they’ve grown to be an adult, they will be thankful for what parents have done.

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References
Lewis, M. (2018, June 20). Are video games really addictive? Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/20/video-games-addictive-
disorder-diagnosis
News Guard. (2019). Addiction: School officials take action to ease youth video game addiction.
Retrieved from https://www.thenewsguard.com/news_paid/addiction-school-officials-
take-action-to-ease-youth-video-game/article_b3c596d4-4c1b-11e9-975e-
ebefc4e47a80.html