Video Games Vs Outdoor Games: The Modernity Over Tradition

There are different types of games, and those games have great amount of genres. Before the advent of computers and modern technology, people played traditional games such as hide and seek which one person closes his or her eyes and counts to a certain number without looking while the others hide and then, he or she pursues the others and marbles that people draw a circle with marbles in the sand or on the sidewalk, and then take turns trying to knock each other's marbles out of the circle with their one large marble, but nowadays people have vast array of technology ranging from smartphones to consoles and computers which they can play anywhere and anytime they wanted. They can play horror, adventure, survival, puzzle, role-playing, and even simulation games with only a click. Although video games are being played only for two decades, about 67% of Americans, or roughly 211 million people, play video games according to a new study released by Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (Riley,1). The study also found that gaming approximately takes up 12 hours per week from a single player game user furthermore from a multiplayer game user it approximately takes 70 hours per week(Riley,1). While outdoor games have been played since ancient times, Researchers say dozens of outdoor games that were almost universally enjoyed a generation ago are falling out due to increasing number of children playing video games. Playing video games can be more enjoyable and easy to play for some people but as every good thing has a bad consequence playing video games can effect person’s not only physical but also psychological health in a bad way.

Human health can be lost without person even know it. Since it is a sensitive matter, people should give extra effort to stay healthy and they can start doing that by stop playing video games. While extended periods of time playing video games may possibly affect a person’s weight and behavior, many people often forget about the possible effects on their eyes and vision. If a person spend a significant amount of time playing video games each day, s/he might experience symptoms of computer vision syndrome (CVS). Symptoms appear because the eyes and brain react differently to words on a computer screen than they do to printed text. Visual symptoms related to computer use can be caused by visual disorders, poor workplace conditions and individual work habits. One of the computer vision syndrome is eyestrain, or asthenopia which may be caused by many different environmental and visual conditions. When focusing continuously on a near task, such as playing games on a computer, the muscles of the inner eye may tighten. This tightness can cause eye irritation. 

The second one is blurred vision which loss of sharpness of vision and the inability to see small details. Blurry vision is sometimes related to the inability of the eyes to steadily focus on a video games for a significant amount of time. Also, vision may be blurred by constantly changing focus, such as looking back and forth between the keyboard and the computer screen.The third one is dry eyes which result from a lack of moisture in the eyes. Tears replenish moisture to the eye by way of blinking. Blinking is one of the fastest reflexes of the body. However, people tend to blink about half as much as normal when they are playing video games. Forth one is headaches which person may develop a headache after staring at a computer screen for a significant amount of time. The brightness and contrast of the monitor may produce an indirect glare that is hard on the eyes. Direct glare, light that shines directly into the eyes such as overhead lights and light from windows, can also cause eyestrain and headaches.The fifth and final one is double vision, or diplopia, is the perception of two images from a single object. Staring at a computer screen for too long may cause double vision(AOA,2). But playing outdoor games do not cause such problems.

A person who suffer from eye disorder due to playing video games 20 hours per day. Besides eye problems, playing video games can cause hearing problems because of using headphones while playing video games. “Noise exposure is a common cause of hearing loss,” says Tricia Ashby, Director of Audiology at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). When you subject your ears to loud input, the fluid in your inner ear moves more, which can damage the hair cells that send signals to the brain. This exposure is cumulative, meaning the more often you expose yourself to loud sounds, the greater impact it will have on your hearing. For example, after a loud concert, people may notice that it may become more difficult for their ears to pick up certain things they could easily hear before. In addition to those sense problems, people can become obese because of inactivity and eating junk food while playing video games due to Bradley J. Bond. Besides of those physical health problems there are also psychological heath problems.