IELTS 2: Video games - advantages and disadvantages

Some people regard video games as harmless fun, or even ass a useful educational tool. Others, however, believe that videos games are having an adverse effect on the people who play them. In your opinion, do the drawbacks of video games outweigh the benefits?

The on-going debate about the pros and cons of video games has caught a lot of attention recently. Personally, I think that the negative effects of playing video games can be very serious while the positive aspects are being overestimated. In this essay, I will discuss some common belief about the benefits of video games then try to demonstrate the real drawbacks of it.

Firstly, it is true that video games can be incredibly entertaining. In today society, gaming act as a stress relief for people with a high-intensity job. However, many researchers have shown that gaming is the least effective method to reduce stress level when compared to meditation, reading books, and listening to music. Another argument about the benefit of video games is its educational value. Although gaming can really engage students in learning, it is only suitable for younger children and children with learning disabilities. The act of introducing gaming into secondary school or even higher education system is unnecessary because students at these ages should be able to focus on the subject in class without any supporting tools.

Despite some positive effect of it, playing video games is the root of a countless number of negative problems in our society. It is a fact that video games cause adverse effects on children’s brain. For example, scientists have shown that teenagers who spent more than 3 hours per day for gaming have a smaller attention span than the controlled group. In addition, the highly sexualize and violence content of some video games can create an unrealistic viewpoint on life for children and make them act unaccordingly to the society. Researchers have pointed out that video games are account for the upsurge in the number of adolescent’s deviant behaviors.

In conclusion, I think that video games cause more harms than goods for our society. Despite the common belief about the positive effects that it possess, gaming is detrimental to both the development of children and the society.