<ul><li>When we see kids playing videogames all day, we think they are addicted, and that it is harmful.</li><li>In most cases, there is no addiction, but just overindulgence,</li><li>In cases they do seem addicted, it may be due to some unmet psychological needs.</li></ul>

Kids Addicted to Videogames

Self Improvement

Kids have been naturally avoiding schoolwork or household chores way before video games came in the picture.And moderate video game playing, less than three hours a day is not an addiction but can actually be beneficial for the cognitive and reflexive development of kids.

Moderate Gaming

There are certain psychological needs that kids look for:<ul><li>Competence: Kids need to compete, grow, and attain mastery over tasks.</li><li> Autonomy: A sense of freedom and control.</li><li> Relatedness: A want of being worthy to others while wanting others to matter to us as well.</li></ul>

Unmet Psychological Needs

Ultimately, parents’ intention should be to help kids learn strategies for self-regulating their habits.By fostering intentional taskwork, and helping kids make proper choices, parents can help kids obtain what they are looking for.

What Kids Want

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Fortnite, like any well-designed video game, satisfies what we are all looking for. According to Drs. Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, people need three things to flourish. We look for competence -- the need for mastery, progression, achievement, and growth. We need autonomy -- the need for volition and freedom of control over our choice. And finally, we strive for relatedness -- the need to feel like we matter to others and that others matter to us. Unfortunately, when considering the state of modern childhood, many kids aren't getting enough of these three essential elements.
School, where kids spend most of their waking hours, is in many ways the antithesis of a place where kids feel competence, autonomy, and relatedness. There, kids are told what to do, where to be, what to think, what to wear, and what to eat. Alarms and bells orchestrate their movements with farm-chattel precision while teachers opine on topics students could care less about. If they're bored and want to go, they're punished. If they want to learn something else, they're told to be quiet. If they'd like to go deeper on a topic, they're prodded to stay on track. Of course, this isn't every student's experience and different countries, schools, and teachers use different approaches to educate kids. But while some argue discipline and control provide structure, it's clear why teachers and students might struggle with motivation in the classroom.
Gamers feel competence when they practice strengths to achieve their aims. In a game, players have the autonomy to call the shots, do what they want, and experiment with creative strategies to solve problems. Games are also social outlets where players can feel relatedness. In Fortnite, for example, players often meet in the virtual environment to chat and socialize because doing so in the real world is often inconvenient or off limits. Whereas previous generations were allowed to simply play after school and form close social bonds, many kids today are raised by fearful and overworked parents who insist their kids either attend a regimented afterschool program or stay behind lock and key at home.
We shouldn't be surprised when the confinement kids find themselves in today often yields behaviors we don't understand and don't like. Games satisfy psychological needs other areas of life are not satiating.
Of course, none of this is to say video games are a good substitution -- quite the opposite. While a well-designed game attempts to satisfy these needs, it can't come close to the deep satisfaction real life and real human connection can provide.
No game can give a child the feeling of competence that comes from accomplishing a difficult task or learning a new skill on their own accord. Fortnite can't compete with the exhilaration that comes from the autonomy of exploring reality, where a child is free to ask questions and unlock mysteries in the real world. No social media site can give a kid the sense of relatedness, safety, and warmth that comes from an adult who loves that child unconditionally just the way they are, no matter what, and <a href="https://www.nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/">takes the time</a> to tell them so.
Some kids suffer from gaming disorders, but such dependencies are often coupled with pre-existing conditions including problems with impulse control. This, of course, does not abdicate companies from their moral responsibility to help problem gamers. It's time they implement policies to identify and help those with disorders.
For most children, however, parents understanding the deeper truth behind what kids are getting out of games empowers them to take steps to give kids more of what they need. It also helps parents get into a state of mind to talk rationally about overuse instead of succumbing to the hysterics and moral panic that our parents used to try and force us to stop listening to rock 'n' roll, watching MTV, playing pinball, or reading comic books. Video games are this generation's outlet and some kids use them as a tool to escape the same way some of us use our own flavor of dissociative devices to tune out reality for a while.
Instead of repeating the mistakes of previous generations with heavy-handed tactics, let's understand the psychological source of the problem. Ultimately, parents' goal should be to help kids learn strategies for coping with overuse on their own so that they do what's good for them even when we're not around. By teaching self-regulating habits, promoting intentional gaming, and helping kids find suitable alternatives, parents can help kids find what they are really looking for.
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Fortnite, like any well-designed video game, satisfies what we are all looking for. According to Drs. Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, people need three things to flourish. We look for competence -- the need for mastery, progression, achievement, and growth. We need autonomy -- the need for volition and freedom of control over our choice.

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Bite‑sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Kids' Video Game Obsession Isn't Really About Video Games. It's About Unmet Psychological Needs.

Kids Addicted to Videogames

Moderate Gaming

Unmet Psychological Needs

What Kids Want

Gamification: can video games change our money habits?

Can You Really Be Addicted to Video Games?

5 Lessons Video Games Taught Me About Success

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career