Online gaming is becoming increasingly popular among children and young adults, although it isn’t just confined to a specific age group anymore. With games taking on more mature themes, even adults are found to be avid gamers.
With all the explosion of new and controversial games hitting the market, we need to understand all the good and bad that comes with it.
Talking to the experts, we gathered the top advantages and disadvantages of online gaming that you should know.
Pro: Sharpens Mind, Con: Untrustworthy Gaming Sites
“Pro: Online gaming sharpens the child’s mind and keeps it engaged. The games usually include multiple stages or objectives that must be finished in a certain amount of time. This aids the children in their learning of time management.
“Con: The Internet is a wide-open space where you can find a wealth of knowledge. Children may download games from untrustworthy websites. As a result, people download spam, viruses, and harmful software, among other things.”
Miklos Zoltan, CEO & Cybersecurity Researcher Privacy Affairs
Pro: Improved Coordination, Con: Risky for Children
“Pro: Coordination of the mind and hands is one of the most significant advantages that children gain from playing internet games. He or she learns to link his or her thoughts to the motions of his or her hands. They gain mental strength while performing those acts.
“Con: Some people are continuously looking for new methods to take advantage of children. Online, children can be deceived and defrauded, as well as abused and bullied.”
Michael Robinson, Security Expert of Cheap SSL Security
Pro: Social Interaction, Con: Expensive
“Pro: As they communicate and play with complete strangers online, children become more socially active. It also aids them in their social lives.
“Con: If you intend to enter or play the game you wish to play online, an update to the computer will arrive unexpectedly at some point, delaying your game time. You’ll hunt for upgrades in your gaming component because you need to upgrade your computer or laptop to play your favorite game, which can waste a lot of money.”
Jeroen van Gils, Managing Director at Lifi.co
Pro: Motivates to Demonstrate Progress, Con: Can Aggravate Violent Behavior
“Pro: This allows you to compare and contrast various players. Knowing you’re talking to a real human rather than artificial intelligence can boost your competitiveness. And, because you want to be the best, you’ll almost certainly find a means to demonstrate progress and a willingness to master new skills.
“Con: People can become violent as a result of playing video games. If they are regularly utilizing violence to solve an issue in a video game, it may leak into their daily lives.”
Ryan Dalal, CEO & Founder of Merge PDF
Pro: Connecting With People, Con: Gaming Addiction
“Pro: What I find the most exhilarating about online gaming is the community of gamers that it allows you to join in and connect with. For people who spend much of their time indoors or working around machines, this channel offers a window for them to connect with other like-minded people online with similar interests. Over time, this proves to be effective in helping people deal with depression and loneliness better.
“Con: The most worrying misgiving about online gaming is the addiction that results from playing online games for too long. This compulsive behavior sees other gamers go to the extent of mismanaging funds available to them to feed their addiction.”
Harriet Chan, Co-Founder of CocoFinder
Pros: Entertainment, Find Like-Minded Friends, Cons: Time-Waste, Money Consuming
“Pro: As a product of the rapid development of network technology, online games have greatly affected our lives. Online games are abbreviated as online games, and you can try them as long as you have the Internet. Therefore, online entertainment can pass the time and enrich people’s free time.
“Pro: Netizens are a sustainable and individual multiplayer online game, so it provides a way for people to communicate. Many people find like-minded friends through online games and exchange experiences while having fun.
“Con: Online games capture the psychology of young people and attract a large number of young users. Therefore, many young people are addicted to games, waste time and waste their studies. It even has an impact on physical and mental health.
“Con: Online games consume a lot of money. Online game users can’t extricate themselves from being addicted to it, and they have invested a lot of energy and time. Like drug abuse, users want to get money by all means and even do illegal and criminal things that affect public order.”
Abby, Head of Marketing-China WellPCB
Pro: Quick Decision Making, Con: Strain on Eyes
“Pro: Online gaming has been medically found to be linked with better brain function and quick decision-making abilities. As we all know, in online gaming, a user has to make decisions and their reactions to the events in the games often translate to better information processing in real life. It goes without saying that online gaming is fun and helps us relax, even though it is a short-lived experience. Also, it improves our social skills, since most online games are community-based and you need team members, which helps in connecting with people around the world.
“Con: Without a doubt, one glaring negative side of online gaming is that it strains eyes due to the longer screen-time and in the long run can end up being an addiction. Interactions with family members and friends also decrease which can negatively impact relationships. Since online gaming doesn’t require any physical activity, it can eventually lead to a sedentary lifestyle.”
David Adler, the CEO at Netinfluencer.com
