The New Nation - Internet Edition

Shakila Sultana

Rahima Ahmed often goes out allowing her two boys to play games on computer. One day, on her return home, she saw her younger son Mahim, 6, had hit her elder son Fahim, 12, with a toy pistol. The youngster's action resulted in a cut on Fahim's head.

When Rahima was scolding Mahim for his violent action, he said, "No one yells at when someone shoots at someone in the games. Why are you scolding me?"

Rahima of Dhaka Citys Shantinagar area finds her kids uncontrollable and she blames video games for this. Such behaviour is quite common among kids who play video games.

Video games hit the world market in 1952. They arrived in Bangladesh at the end of the 1980s. Video games became very popular in the 1990s. Since then, video games shops began to spring up in lanes and by-lanes of towns, and even in villages. In these shops, children, adolescents and unemployed play games in return for money. Literally, it has turned into an industry. But, these games are having negative impacts on children.

Kids belonging to higher class and higher-middle class families play games on their personal computers, while those of lower and lower-middle class families in an unhealthy environment of video games shops. Numerous shops can be found in Mirpur, Jatrabari, Old Dhaka, Kachukhet, Nayatola and Bashabo areas.

"Playing video games is an addiction,"says Kamrun Nahar Ria, a guardian. "Like drug addicts, those are addicted to video games gradually increase the time of playing. This addiction is very harmful to children."

Dr Tamanna Begum, a child specialist and associate professor of Begum Khaleda Zia Medical College, says, In developed countries, there are separate games for separate age groups. But, in our country, there is nothing like that. Here, everybody is playing every game. If a child plays games hours after hours he or she gets addicted. As a result, children's education is being affected.

She says, "There arise some physical problems too. If children play video games for a long time, their fingers get swollen and they face problems in their muscles. These may lead to serious physical problems in the future."

Psychologically, Dr Tamanna says, the consequence is even worse. Due to these games, children get attracted to violence and sex.

The children who play at shops have to lie or steal money. Twelve-year-old Topu was playing at a shop in Mohammadpur. "I play because I feel great with it,"he says with an innocent smile. Topu is a madrasah student. He comes here to play games telling his parents that he is going to mosque for prayers. "I save my pocket money to play games. If I want my parents to give me money, they won't."

These day children and adolescents increasingly buy CDs of games. Apart from some storylines, there is nothing written on the covers of CDs and DVDs. So, guardians cannot understand what they are buying. Simply, they are being forced to buy kids all types of games, as they are unable to select good and bad ones. Children are playing all types of games, as it's not written as to which game will be played by which age group.

Many games are mentally harmful to children. In support of this statement, Mehzabin Haque, associate professor of Psychology department at Dhaka University, says, "Any addiction is bad. When children keep on playing games, they cannot control themselves. That means it's a kind of addiction. As there are many pictures, colours and speed in games, electric waves of brains get changed. So, children can't be attentive to any other things. And this harms children's education most."

Mehzabin goes on: "For playing too much of games, children can't be attentive to their studies. So, they perform poorly in their exams and become disobedient. Besides, as he or she is playing alone, social interaction is gets lesser, which may later cause frustration."

Mehzabin also says having seen violence in many games children are getting familiar with the world of crimes. There are many games from where children watch murders and fighting. Subconsciously, children are learning crimes. These games are destroying children's sympathy for others.

She further says, "The idea among children that fighting is bad is being damaged. Children are getting encouraged in fighting. They are not learning to see a wrong thing as wrong. The condition of those playing in shops is even worse. They are playing in an unhealthy environment. And, they have to pay for this. They are learning to deal with money at an early age. In order to collect the money, they are learning many wrong things like stealing. They are also behaving violently."

Some psychologists say it is true that nowadays children cannot have outdoor activities that much as there is virtually no playground. So, they need to be encouraged to read books.

Of course, they say, "Children will play video games. But, the time and type of games have to be fixed by their parents. The parents will also have to spend more time with their children. And they will have to be like friends so that their children can easily express their feelings to them."