PUBG Generation
As we have experienced in our childhood, responsible parenting often feels like endless series of saying ‘no’. No, you can’t have junk food before lunch. No, you can’t ride bi-cycle in main road. And now today’s younger generation is going through same old clichés: no, you can’t sit around playing PUBG all day. Our childhood has given us some first-hand knowledge regarding digital world of games, thanks to that old mercantile machine. So we can tell all sorts of fact like why Dave wear red cap or why your eyes are fevicoled in 5.6 inch screen while playing ‘Candy crush’.
Every once in a while appear a game that takes the gaming world to next level of progress. This time, it’s ‘Player Unknown Battlegrounds’. Better known by its acronym — PUBG. Since last decade, computer or mobile games have become the leading form of digital entertainment worldwide — especially after gradual decrease in T.V watching culture. To begin with, these games allow us to win and get on next level, giving celebrated sense of satisfaction. This achievement are experienced as reward, which release brain chemical called ‘dopamine’ and also target same neuron involved in addiction. The research conducted by California State University found that computer gaming can have a similar effect as drug or alcoholism on child’s developing brain. It’s because game makers work hard to hook players to their digital world. Thus they use predictive algorithms and codes of behavioural economics to make the game more addictive.
During our research on “Gaming behaviour” among lower secondary level students from Kathmandu we found that most of the children were intensely indulged in playing unknown battleground. “My mother always scold me for playing PUBG but what shall I do, I can’t resist, I feel like irritation if I didn’t get chance to play” said a 6th grade player of Arunima Higher Secondary School. “His sleeping, eating and academic habit has negatively changed since he starts playing this PUBG, He simply can’t resist the impulse to play, and I’m tired of scolding him. Please do something babu, he is being like ‘kiro’ (Mobile worm)” his mother added.
When a 20 years old mature son is caught red hand doing weed, parents would react like the sky has fallen but in case of 11 years old child playing PUBG, it’s considered normal. The very idea of this game is somewhat like, people gather together to kill each other and try hard to become the last one standing. How could we let budding young mind to indulge in such gaming habit? The game is full of violence. Every second, the virtual battleground is thrilled by potential danger, you can’t relax, any instance the enemies could unexpectedly jump out to kill you. The excitement aroused by Killing and destructions — is the core of PUBG! That’s why it’s popular.
Explaining in more scientific way ; the excitement by killing enemies would make the child brain think something great has happened and it immediately emits brain chemical called dopamine — a neurotransmitter which tells your brain ‘that was great; do it again. Such immediate excitement also contributes to release endorphins- a natural painkiller that relax you for some moment. The main reason behind popularity of this game is because they tap into our behavioural neural network. Like cigarette nicotine, video games can also cause rapid brain dopamine release. And the arousal effects while playing game are so natural to brain that it mostly occurs subconsciously. This’s why; young teens with vulnerable minds get addicted to gaming and even reach in level of medical condition. Many researchers have found that Children playing violent games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, behaviours, and decreased sense of cooperation. Last year there was a case of 19 years old Indian guy named Suraj Verma who stabbed his father and mother 26 times, and sister seven times in aggression, he was reported to be a PUBG addict. Even one Indian online news portal, Dailyhunt, covered the news story entitled “Delhi: To play Online PUBG game, a 19-year-old boy murdered his parents and sister”.
Gaming will becomes more problematic if it impedes other aspects of children’s life including their academic performance, social involvement and such digital consumption in bits and bytes even influence their behavioural pattern. Though some online gaming allows introverts to enjoy human networks and help to make connection on their own terms. But it can also prevent children’s from learning social skills and cooperative behaviour to assimilate with diverse personalities.
In 2018, World Health Organization declares that impulsively engaging in digital games is a mental health condition, specifying these phenomena as “gaming disorder”. And the symptoms are actually quite common; increased priority to gaming over other activities, and continuation of gaming despite negative consequences. Despite the hype, gaming is not always problematic for children and in case of right selection many games out there actually offer benefits. What we would suggest is, parents should look out for games that nurture creativity and intelligence in child brain. Some chosen games that celebrate mathematical problems, case solving, architecting or word games are useful for developing brains. With such games, small minds will learn to use their imagination or cognitive skills and parents too need not worry that their child are not playing chess or rotting new words.
Sites Consulted :
Game as addiction: https://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/britain/mri-scans-reveal-addictive-video-games-impact-childrens-brains-in-the-same-way-as-drugs-and-alcohol-37007577.html
WHO declared gaming disorder: http://www.who.int/features/qa/gaming-disorder/en/
Games release Dopamine: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-compass-pleasure/201110/video-games-can-activate-the-brains-pleasure-circuits-0
PUBG Addict killed parents:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pubg-game-addiction-man-kills-parents-delhi-police-5398568/
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