During the summer holidays, and in the face of the growth of free time, many young people resort to spending their time playing video games to combat boredom, whether on mobile phones, television, Playstation, or computers. This raised the concerns of some researchers, considering that there is a certain limit of hours, if it is exceeded in playing, then the matter becomes a dangerous addiction to the psyche of the child or young person and his societal behavior as well.
The demand for video games in Morocco has become remarkable in recent years, as the needs of the Moroccan person have increased in terms of creating alternatives for recreation, enjoyment and ecstasy outside the known traditional means. However, playing video games is not a negative thing at all, but the responsibility of the family has risen to ensure that video games are used for what is “good” for the child and his development.
Play…on conditions
Mohsen Benzakour, a specialist in social psychology, explained to us how “a child is in the developmental stage, especially between 6 and 15 years old, if he gets used to 3 hours of playing a day, then he is in an addictive state”; Hence, “this addiction is difficult to get rid of, so if play becomes automatic, then the emotions in turn become automatic, and the child becomes constantly searching for gratification, for dopamine, and for the satisfaction he finds in playing, and those three hours multiply. Hence, growth is not normal,” according to the specialist himself.
Benzakor stressed, in a chat with Hespress newspaper, that the problem lies in the fact that the child, during adolescence, needs to develop other mechanisms; Such as social intelligence, the relationship with the other, and sensory-motor development through swimming, mountaineering and some physical activities that thrive in the summer in particular.” Therefore, we see our children psychologically fragile. However, we should not think of preventing children from playing; Rather, we must rationalize their dealings with these games, most of which are violent.”
The social psychologist explained that “many children who constantly play these games may simply feel depressed or lose any bet,” noting that “these games have a danger on the biological level; Brain growth is affected according to many scientific studies of the World Health Organization. When a child plays a lot on the electronic device, he wastes a lot of information and competencies gained from practice. In addition, spending a long time playing wastes important time and exhausts both mentally and physically.
Horizon isolation?
For his part, Zakaria Akdaid, a researcher in sociology, considered that “according to the observation, it was found that the child, youth or adolescent is not isolated in the literal sense of the word, because if he is physically isolated from his surroundings, he is present in new bonds represented by those who share the game by default, and he talks with them and discusses with them,” highlighting that “this situation does not make the child or youth feel that he is alone. Hence, we are not facing games in their traditional form, but rather we are facing a technology that expands the electronic link even outside the community to which the child belongs.”
Akdaid stated, “We are facing digitized beings that simulate a kind of openness to the other, even though he is not present in the same space in which we are; The practices of electronic games are different, and they are often in the collective form, because many children go to the spaces that provide the service of playing for a fee in a group and play in a collective atmosphere.
And he said, “Personally, I take precaution to call the young man’s retreat to play “isolation”, because it reduces material relations with others, and expands virtual relations with him..and the latter can transfer to objective reality, and contribute to creating a nucleus for many societal relationships.”
