At the outset, the ministry noted that in the new era of technology, online gaming was very popular with children because of the challenges it brought to the players which excite them and make them play more which could lead to addiction.
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The government today issued an advisory to teachers and parents on children’s safe online gaming, cautioning them that this could lead to a serious gaming addiction which has been considered as a gaming disorder.
”Online gaming has many downsides. The game is designed in a way that each level is more complicated and complex than the previous one. This causes a player to push themselves to the limit in order to progress in the game. Therefore, playing online games with no restriction and self-limits leads many players to become addicted and are eventually diagnosed with gaming disorder,” the Ministry of Education said.
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The gaming companies also emotionally compel the child to buy more levels and almost force in-app purchases, it added.
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At the outset, the ministry noted that in the new era of technology, online gaming was very popular with children because of the challenges it brought to the players which excite them and make them play more which could lead to addiction.
”Online games can either be played on the internet itself or from another computer network. Online games can almost be found anywhere on any gaming platform such as PC’s, consoles, and mobile devices. Online gaming can be accessed with the use of a phone or a tablet which is a common factor in online game addiction because children can easily play games anywhere anytime affecting their time for their school and social life. Furthermore, the closure of schools due to the pandemic has increased the use of mobile and internet by children,” it pointed out.
The ministry, therefore, said there was need for educating the teachers and the parents for necessary action ensuring effective use in overcoming all online gaming downsides with the associated mental and physical stress to children.
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