Sadness, anxiety, and irritability are just a few side effects of online gaming, but the ill effects get compounded when it involves money usage in online gaming. From a student to a highly educated techie, the victims of online gaming lost Rs 70,000 to Rs 700,000 (in INR). Online games like Dream 11, Winzo, and MPL with cricket stars like Rohit, Dhoni, and Kohli, respectively, featured in advertisements for their promotion, are an invitation to Internet Gaming Disorder. In this article, we will focus on online gaming, an addiction!
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Online Gaming Apps- MPL, Winzo, Dream 11
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A Pastime is Now an Addiction!
A small mobile handset with a high-speed internet connection has become essential, like oxygen, for every household. In the past, online games were a part of fun applications and a time-pass sport, but not today. Online lotteries, casino-like games, and sports games involve money and betting.
During the IPL cricket season, the fun and betting happen unrestricted. Gaming applications are now a gambling habit for many people.
There are many risks associated with online games, which include
- Risks are posed by social interactions with unfamiliar individuals who may deceive us or our loved ones into divulging personal or financial details.
- Risks stemming from cyber intruders capitalizing on security loopholes.
- Risks associated with both online and offline predators.
- Risks from malicious software such as viruses, Trojan horses, computer worms, and spyware.
Victims of Online Gaming: A Few Cases
- A 24-year-old cricket fan running a small furniture business from Mumbai lost Rs. 70000 to conmen who lured the victim on the pretext of winning great money worth crores in Dream 11.
- A woman from Hyderabad borrowed Rs. 25,000 from her online games, and when she lost it in gambling, fearing to repay debt, she staged a fake robbery of her home by burglars. Police busted her fake story.
- A 21-year-old petrol pump operator from Lucknow committed suicide due to debts he incurred due to betting on IPL games.
- A highly educated Bengaluru techie has also become a victim of online gambling, where he lost Rs 70 lakh. His wife had to take him to de-addiction centres for treatment.
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Gaming Addiction
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Health Hazards Associated with Online Gaming
Researchers debate about whether being hooked on the internet or video games should be called an addiction or a mental illness. Some researchers think that being addicted to video games is like being hooked on gambling, where the excitement of winning is a big reason why people play.
Some people disagree with this comparison to gambling because they argue that playing video games might not result in losing money or belongings. Also, winning in a video game often demands thinking quickly and having sharp reflexes, while winning in gambling is mostly about luck.
Despite this argument, we must remember that any activity or habit that takes over our lives and affects how we function every day can lead to serious mental, social, and physical health problems.
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Children Addiction to Online Games
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Signs that someone might be hooked on video games (like having internet gaming disorder) include:
- Doing poorly in school, work, or chores because they're playing games too much.
- Feeling sad, anxious, or grouchy when they can't play games.
- Needing to play games for longer and longer to feel happy.
- Giving up activities they used to enjoy or friends because of gaming.
- Trying but failing to cut back on playing games, even when it causes problems.
- Lying about how much time they spend playing games.
- Not taking care of themselves well because they're playing games too much.
- Using games to escape from stress or problems.
- Playing games to feel better when they're feeling down, like guilty or hopeless.
There are many more untold stories. We might argue that there is a positive side, where some people can even earn through online gambling. But that is peanuts compared to the health and financial loss a family has to face.
No Dhoni, no Kohli, no Rohit can save us if we get addicted. So, it is better to stay away from these online game applications that eat our hard-earned money than help us.
Let us not get lured towards the trap by watching our stars advertise it!