Video Games vs. Traditional Games
Alejandro is happy. He finally got the most desired present for his 11th birthday. After several months, the family bought what he wished for so much. Still incredulous, he looks at the back of the box. One cable here, another there, and it’s ready. There is no doubt, it’s exactly as he imagined it, the latest Playstation!
The house remains quiet. Shouts and laughter can only be heard in the living room. Balls and marbles have been replaced by new pastimes: the Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. Alejandro has changed. His mother reflects on the situation, with one question bouncing around her mind: Is the new toy something good or bad?
Cuban video games system
In recent times, video games have been at the center of countless investigations worldwide. Since their appearance in 1952, with «Oxo,» major corporations began a non-stop race to produce more and better video games. The 1970s and 1980s were important years for the video game industry. The year 2006 marked the continuation of new generations, with the most demanded versions led by the Sony and Nintendo. Japan and the United States have imposed designs and features, which have been greatly accepted in the world market.
Cuba is also influenced by this phenomenon. Assuming its absence on the island is a mistaken belief and may prove that some people do not have a clear understanding of the nation.
Most video games from abroad lack educational value for the player. Many of them —directly or indirectly— suggest violent behavior, individualism, racism or sexism.
In Cuba this phenomenon is not frequently discussed. Isolated studies have been carried out and only a few institutions, such as the National Group on Educational Software under the Ministry of Education, where work has been done to create educational video games.
Specific Experiences
Omar Stainer Rivera and Patricia Rodriguez are two graduates who majored in psychology at the Marta Abreu Central University, in the province of Villa Clara. They carried out research in the municipality of Sancti Spiritus, where they tried to determine the perception of video games among sixth graders from two schools.
The results of 100 interviews revealed interesting and completely new data. A considerable number of adolescents said they have access to video games. In fact, more than half of them use some type every day, three times a week or at least once a week. Contrary to what many people think, availability to video games is not strictly related to the economic situation of families, something that makes this phenomenon even more complex.
Although many have their own systems, others play in houses where games are rented out, or in their parents workplaces or even at school. The majority play on an average for one hour.
Omar Stainer Rivera says, «When we asked the different age groups, we found out that video games are a highly motivating activity and somehow have taken the place of traditional games for Cuban children and adolescents».
The researchers also found out that rent video games are widespread and popular among adolescents. «There are games where users play in the house of the person who rents the video game system. The amount of time devoted to play is not that great, so parents aren’t necessarily aware of this situation taking place in nearby homes,» Stainer says.
«With another type, adolescents can take the system home. For that they need to pay more money, and it’s very unlikely that parents are unaware of the situation. In almost all cases, this money comes from the family. The time used for playing is greater and can last the whole day or weekend.
«The prices at the houses with games vary from one peso (4 cents) for every five to ten minutes, to 20 or 30 pesos (about one dollar) for the whole day. Sometimes, the money is the parents’ reward for their child’s good behavior».
Sometimes, the high interest for video games makes youth look for money through different ways. «The fact that government institutions don’t know which houses are involved in this situation, or about the quality of the games, has turned the phenomenon into a compulsory theme of analysis,» said the researcher.
In addition, there are the complaints from teachers who have to deal with students who don’t do their homework because they prefer to play with these gaming systems. Likewise, doctors are treating new disorders related to the use of these types of games, while psychologists are finding themselves trying to respond to parents’ complaints about the «weird behavior» of their children.
Mixed Reactions
Studies on the impact of videogames agree that the time devoted to them is one of their negatives consequences. When these games are being used, teenagers are under a great deal of physical and psychical stress. Depending on a number of variables —the time they play, the type of game or the child’s personal characteristics— stress, irritation and alteration can be generated.
Although some games can be a source of entertainment during leisure time, and at the same time have a positive influence on the healthy development of cognitive skills, others can generate negative behaviors, and their overuse can create an addiction.
Scholars of the topic assure that videogames help with important skills for the learning-teaching process because they promote organization and control, such as those learned through the correct use of a keyboard. In addition, their use stimulates motor skills such as eye-hand coordination, and a sense of control and problem solving abilities. Even players with adaptation problems get a boost to their self-esteem.
In medicine, for example, their appropriate use has motivated schizophrenic patients, while Game Boys have been used successfully in the treatment of compulsive and self-destructive behavior. In Cuba, it has been proven on several occasions that these can have a therapeutic use with children suffering from Down syndrome or those with learning disabilities.
Nonetheless, the positive consequences of the use of videogames depend in large on the amount of time used and their content. Some advice from everyday experience suggests that this is not a way to keep teenagers amused. Rules must be established as to the hours, days and the content of the games.
Among the negative consequences recognized by parents is the decreased time teenagers spend on other leisure time pursuits and on school activities. In contrast, few noticed that it causes hypersensitivity at a neurological level; this causes a higher level of motor hyperactivity, which explains why people tend to be restless and over stimulated after playing.
«Something interesting is the risk of developing harmful sedentary behavior, which is usually associated with the consumption of junk food. In the case of electronic gaming too, this can lead to youth becoming overweight» said young researchers Omar Stainer Rivera and Patricia Rodriguez.
Likewise, when young people spend a considerable amount of time in front of an electronic device, they get headaches and eye problems such as irritation because they do not move of their eyelids to lubricate the cornea. Due to the sitting positions adopted during the gaming, there can appear muscular pain and defects in their posture, or tendonitis and circulation problems.
In the case of violent videogames, their use can increase physiological excitation and can significantly reduce the will to help others, which can create egocentric behavior and a lack of social sensitivity.
Nonetheless, their rational use can also help. According to Omar Stainer, «there are two positions regarding violence and videogames. One sees videogames as being responsible for promoting violent behavior, while the other but emphasizes their cathartic influence, since it gives people the chance to release natural human aggression».
Without Prejudice
Adolescence is a stage on which the opinion of the group and the one’s relation with their peers gains importance, possibly as it never had before. That is the reason why the appearance of videogames as a mass phenomenon traps this social group more easily.
Videogames are not a problem in themselves; regardless of the characteristics of the product, what is really damaging is their unrestricted use, without any controls or restrictions.
In Cuban schools and in Youth Computer Science and Electronic Clubs, a variety of educational videogames are available free of charge for both learning and leisure time. Although it is true that some of these products must improve their quality in order to compete with foreign videogames, they are a positive start that must continue to develop.
The debate over videogames must not become stuck between «good» and «bad», «this yes» and «this no». The best way is to get information on how to proceed, rationally and with controlled use, and not to see them merely as a way to keep the child «quiet».
