Controlled gaming prevents ADHD

Atif Mumtaz Khan, a game developer, claims that video games help increase concentration in children and prevents Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD). There are several computer and video games in the market that persuade players to stay put until they crack all levels. In a certain sense, these games teach children determination, he stresses.

Atif’s belief is also endorsed by experts and studies. Now parents worried about their couch potatoes have a reason to breathe a sigh of relief. The results of the latest research conducted on video games by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charité University Medicine reveals that video games enhance growth of cell bodies in the brain and thereby increase brain activity.

Children actively into gaming possess better spatial and navigational skills, have a longer memory and are excellent at strategic planning and fine motor skills. Gaming also helps develop multi tasking. The market is flooded with several genres of games but not all have the desired effect on a child. Certain games require children to indulge in violence and destruction. But games like Neuro Racer, Super Mario, Wheely Bird and Need For Speed are found to have predominantly positive effects on kids.

Neuro Racer, for instance, requires a lot of multitasking as children have to accomplish multiple activities simultaneously even as they keep an eye for several signs randomly displayed on the screen. Wheely Bird requires strategic planning to clear levels of the game that get tougher with each round while games like Super Mario and NFS demand supreme concentration from the player.

It has been proven that gaming increases visual motor co-ordination. However, experts believe that caution must be exercised so over-indulgence doesn’t lead to unwanted addiction. Gaming like other activities has its pros and cons, and parents have to weigh them carefully before allowing their children to indulge in it.

“Negative effects include exposure to harmful radiation, weakening of eye sight and addiction”, say Dr Ravi Dadlani, a neuro-specialist with Sunshine Hospitals, adding that moderate gaming may however aid children in developing various skills. Parents have to study the effects of games on players as there are several games in the market that provoke aggression and violence in children, which bring about a gradual but lasting change in their behavioral patterns

“There is a huge shift in the gaming market today. A majority of the game designers are now concentrating on developing games which not only engage the users but also is useful to them”, says Atif, Co-Owner of Wheely Bird. Although psychiatrists believe that digital gaming more often than not results in addiction, they also agree that control gaming can infact can have positive effects

“Gaming has benefits like increased psychological activity and developed reflexes but parents have to make sure that the children are playing the right kind of games and for a controlled time”, says Dr Sreenivas, psychiatrist. “Children learn from every experience and gaming infact aids their development as long as the activity is controlled. Also, it should not be preferred over physical activities. It is advisable for parents to infact participate in gaming along with their children so they can control the time dedicated to gaming”, he adds.

By:Vaishnavi Girish