In an era where most parts of the world are developing ways to create awareness on online gaming. A report by Mirror Now projects online gaming and esports a devastating step for children, labels it as an escape for “loneliness.”
Promoting the hastag #StopGamingAddiction, Mirror Now titles this report as “The Dark Reality of Gaming.” It goes on to criminalize the choice of playing online games for a few hours. The agenda of this report comes into light more when they name a foundation where these children have reportedly enrolled to get rid off their gaming activity.
Calling gaming “dangerous” several times isn’t the only description, the feature further calls gaming as addictive as “cocaine.”
The report showcases numerous interviews with gamers, in one of the instance a gamer simply responds to a question asked, “I play till I am bored, anywhere on laptop or mobile; the maximum I play is three to four hours on a day.” The reporter authoritatively questions again, “why don’t you go outside and play?” to which the boy replies, “because I like playing.”
Further, Mr. Rahul Verma of Uday Foundation explains the “dangerous” activity by saying, “the children now a days have an urge in them to achieve new levels in a game, this is very dangerous.”
If this isn’t enough, the narrator continues “.. Children’s addiction to gaming can also be attributed to feeling of loneliness or alienation. And in some cases they need to find solace in the virtual world when they feel threatened by reality.”
Perhaps, we understand the awareness of the destructive vague games such as the Blue Whale, conveniently calling online gaming a substance addiction is bizarre.
At a time when Governments of different parts of the world are accepting and citing the existence of such community, a better picture of the industry should be reflected. Ofcourse there are problems, but will they be forever? The answer lies in the pace of the development.
