ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VIDEOGAMES

Researchers have revealed that some videogames give a high level of engagement and motivation to youngsters as they tend to be more successful in attracting and motivating young people than schools. They are seen to be “winning the competition for the hearts and minds of the young (Sefton-Green, 2003)”. Some others leave negative impact such as violence and addiction on youngsters.

ADVANTAGES

PROVISION OF AN AVENUE FOR FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT
In addition to the fun created by videogames, they also break social and cultural barriers creating an impersonal environment where players socialize irrespective of age, language, ethnic backgrounds, profession. An example is Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) like Secondlife; which can support thousands of players concurrently and is played on the internet regularly. “MMOGs can enable players to compete with and against others on a grand scale, and sometimes they interact with each other like real life situations” (Daniel, 2009)

DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF SKILLS
The use of videogames improves skills such as Math skills, decision-making and problem solving skills. “Using videogames favours the development of complex thinking skills related to problem solving” (Whitebread, 1997). Large business organisations adopt the use of decision-making based videogames to aid them in real time decision making processes; the same also applies to the army who use strategic games to enhance their problem solving skills.

AVENUE FOR SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING AND HEALTH PROMOTION KNOWLEDGE
Some videogames are also adopted in the practice of self-directed knowledge as it boosts confidence in some children and gives them a sense of comfort with technology. These boosted self esteems are also transferred to real life situations and helps them cope with and handle real life situations. Some also promotes health knowledge, example: some simulated videogames like Medical Tycoon, Team Hospital, specifically designed to aid self learning for medical institutions, students and doctors

AIDS THERAPY, SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISIM
“Brain game systems which use specially designed controllers and helmets with in-built sensors used for monitoring brain activity and a smatbox that receives brain signals; are also used for children with disorders.” (Snider, 2005), he also noted that “If a player’s mind wanders, the smartbox sends signals to the controller hindering acceleration or character movement in the game”. Also, according to Snider (2005), Videogames are prescribed by Psychologists for children who have attention deficit disorder, as it helps them to focus.

AIDS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
Some videogames developed by Education Arcade are adopted in schools to promote math and literacy (e.g. Labyrinth) or to teach Electromagnetism (e.g. Supercharged). Examples of other similar videogames include: Digital Zoo, Pandora Project, Urban Science etc.
Videogames possess a number of characteristics which help schools transform from traditional environments to progressive learning environments. Takashi (2006) also noted that “introduction of games in class may be quite useful and more effective for learning”.

DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE’S INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND STYLES
“Videogames enable the development of different learning styles, since speed and difficulty level can be adjusted to suit player” (Levine, 1981; Jenkins 2002). Also, they enhance speed of learning and adaptation to knowledge especially in young people and supply the potential to promote creativity


DISADVANTAGES
Despite the advantages, videogames do have disadvantages as they leave negative impacts on youths.
The major disadvantages:

EXHIBITION OF VIOLENT AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
Gamers tend to adopt a violent and aggressive approach towards conflicts. “Performing violent actions in videogames may be more conducive to children's aggression and they tend to display more verbal and physical aggression towards playmates and objects” (Anderson, Dill 2000).
Also “the more children practice violent acts in videogames, the more likely they are to perform violent acts” (Dill K.E. and Dill J.C. 1998). Anderson and Bushman (2001) noted that “violent games increase aggression by teaching observers how to aggress”, and videogames could also reduce empathy while promoting violence.

LOW ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Playing videogames could engross gamers that they tend to develop and affinity for them forgetting their studies. Huesmann (1994) cited that “violent videogame exposure is related to decrements in academic achievement because of the disruption of progress in school that is associated with increases in aggressive behaviour”. Also “research to date suggests that parents should be most concerned about 2 things: the amount of time that children play, and the content of the games that they play because the amount of time spent playing videogames has a negative correlation with academic performance” (Gentile 2004).

GAME ADDICTION
Videogames lead to an induced addictive behaviour which could possibly result in truancy or theft. Kirriemuir & McFarlane (2004) noted that “The time traditionally dedicated to ‘better activities’ such as social play and physical recreation, is spent on anti-social, physically and mentally unhealthy game playing, possibly leading to addictive patterns of use.” Although there is no clear definition of when a person becomes addicted to playing videogames, a lot of published information discusses game addiction as a psychological phenomenon. Examples:
A Harris Interactive poll released in April 2007 revealed that 8.5% of "youth gamers" in the United States could be "classified as pathologically or clinically 'addicted' to playing videogames (Harris Interactive 2007)."
A British survey reported in November 2006 showed 12% of polled gamers exhibit addictive behaviours (BBC News, 2006).
Finally, a governmental survey in South Korea estimated that 2.4% of South Koreans aged 9 to 39 are addicts, with 10.2% more "borderline cases (Washington Post Foreign Service, 2006)."

YOUTHS' ATTITUDES TOWARD GENDER STEREOTYPES
Based on conceptions, males use ICT more than females for Internet and entertainment (email, chat, play videogames, download music or software), but the most pronounced gender differences are in reported use of computer games. On average, (PISA, 2003) researches revealed that males are twice as likely as females to play videogames frequently (70% and 35% respectively). In Denmark and Sweden the gap is even wider, with more than 80% of males frequently playing computer games. In the United States, where the gap is narrower, over 1/2 of females aged 15 frequently use computers for games. This means that videogames are mostly played by boys than girls and Cassell & Jenkins (1999) cited that this poses a problem because early differential preferences between boys and girls threaten to worsen as technological literacy increasingly becomes a general precondition for employment.