Video games have come a long way since today's adults sat down at a computer to play Pong or Donkey Kong. The newest-generation gaming consoles are as powerful as personal computers, and can accomplish many of the same things. And today's games are increasingly realistic and technologically advanced. Social networking has even made its way into the video game industry with online gaming. These virtual worlds can be complicated and perplexing to parents, which is why it's important for you to understand what your child is playing and when to get worried.
Did You Know?
In 2009, over 11 million people played World of Warcraft, an online, subscription fee-based multiplayer game.
According to one study, nearly 1 in 10 young gamers displayed behavior patterns similar to addiction.1
The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 8- to 18-year-olds are exposed to an average of 10 hours and 45 minutes of media each day.
Whether your child is an avid gamer or rarely picks up a controller, it's important to understand the world of video games--especially in the age of online gaming--so you can make your child's experience with games both a positive and a beneficial one.
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1. Douglas Gentile, “Pathological Video Game Use among Youth 8 to 18: A National Study,”
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
The youth of today no longer seem to spend their leisure activities like in the olden days; outdoor games or playing with toys, instead, they spend their free time in their homes, internet cafés or computer shops simply to satisfy their hunger; and that hunger is Online Gaming. Online gaming has such a profound impact on not only the young, but dynamically every age group as well. So far, virtually anyone is able to go on a computer and punch through the keys and mouse in order to get a high score, chat with players, get the rarest items, and level up as fast as possible. Yes, there seems to be no restriction as to whom, how or what