Introduction
There is no secret that the world of technology is getting more advanced with each day. Nowadays, many children spend their free time in front of a computer monitor, playing their favorite games, where the virtual world beckons with unlimited possibilities. However, there is an ongoing debate on how video games affect family bonds and whether such games are harmful to children since this type of entertainment may lead to violence, aggression, or lack of empathy. Thus, many researchers are aiming to learn how video games influence communication within the family to avoid harmful consequences for children’s mental stability. Even though there are many stereotypes about video games, they can benefit family closeness by using this activity to improve relationships between parents and children. It is irrational to ignore the potential benefits video games can bring to families by making them spend time together.
Argumentation
Video games are an innovative tool to improve relationships within the family. It was proven in Wang et al. paper “Families that play together stay together: Investigating family bonding through video games”. The main topics of the examination were the contribution of video games to building relationships between parents and children. The results showed positive dynamics in the use of this method of family cohesion. When a family plays a video game together, they spend time together, which may advance their ties. It was noted that this choice was made since this activity is popular entertainment, especially among the younger generation (Wang et al., 2018). In addition, not only playing videogames suggests a significant improvement in the quality of communication but also helps family members gain an understanding of each other and possibly learn valuable information about themselves (Siyahhan & Gee, 2018). The adult generation can realize and understand things that the younger generation is interested in. This is an important statement since it points at how video games can contribute to reducing the level of conflict situations in families that may arise due to misunderstandings.
Counter argumentation
However, there is an opinion that video games can provoke undesirable behavior and characteristics in children. In this case, it is crucial to take into account such psychological principles as violence, empathy, bonding, competition, and aggression. The latter is noted as “aggression covers the structural characteristics also defined as integral part of the game dynamic,” which determines the careful use of games (Soriani et al., 2018, p. 13). Therefore, watching scenes of fights and violent behavior can form a wrong perception in children because they may broadcast the observed models in real life, which can be the result of deviant behavior. In addition, there is still an insufficient amount of literature on how joint entertainment and pastime affect interaction and communication between people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, joint involvement in video games of the whole family has a positive contribution to family relationships. Playing video games together in a family is a tool that might improve communication between parents and children and even increase the level of satisfaction. On the other hand, there is an opinion that too much exposure of children to video games can provoke violent characteristics, as well as a decrease in empathy and an increase in aggression. It is worth noting that when playing together, older family members should adjust and learn to listen to children since they are more developed in this area.
References
Siyahhan, S., & Gee, E. (2018). Families at play: Connecting and learning through video games. The MIT Press.
Soriani, A., Ilardo, M., & Falconi, A. (2018). Videogames, violence, and aggressive behavior: An educational proposal. Play2Learn.
Wang, B., Taylor, L., & Sun, Q. (2018). Families that play together stay together: Investigating family bonding through video games. New Media & Society, 20(11), 4074-4094.