Monday 22 April 2013

IRS Report

The purpose of this report is to find out the solution to solve or prevent gaming addiction amongst the Secondary One students of School of Science and Technology, Singapore 2012. The seriousness and what kind of consequences it will have on victims of gaming addiction.


Video games are becoming increasingly complex, detailed, and compelling to a growing international audience of players. With better graphics, more realistic characters, and greater strategic challenges, it’s not surprising that some teens would rather play the latest video game than hang out with friends, play sports, or even watch television. 

For some, gaming has become an uncontrollable compulsion. Studies estimate that 10 percent to 15 percent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organization’s criteria for addiction. Just like gambling and other compulsive behaviors, teens can become so enthralled in the fantasy world of gaming that they neglect their family, friends, work, and school.

Stress caused by academic and family pressure could be linked to the worrying number of young Singaporeans hooked on video games, researchers said yesterday. They are carrying out further studies to find out why nearly 9 per cent of youngsters are addicted to computer gaming, and how to help them. National University of Singapore (NUS) Assistant Professor Choo Hyekyung said school and family-related stress is one factor likely to feature prominently. She declined to give further details. The new research follows 

Of the 8.7 per cent of students are deemed pathological – having problems controlling their gaming – 54 per cent said stress was one reason they play games. Addicts spend about 37.5 hours a week gaming – double the 18.8 hours spent by ordinary youngsters. The study of 3,000 students aged nine to 14 was published in the Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore, and was carried out by researchers from NUS, the National Institute of Education (NIE), Iowa State University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The same institutions are conducting the follow-up studies.

Alarmingly, 7 per cent of all students polled had shoplifted games or stolen money to pay for them. And 24 per cent of those deemed addicts cut classes to play, while more than half quarreled with their parents over their habit. The problem has prompted the Government to take action. In August, it announced it had set aside $10 million to fund cyber-wellness projects over the next five years. release on Tuesday of Singapore’s first comprehensive study of video game addiction. 

Addicts suffer “poorer school performance, poorer self-control and even poor health”. Long term gaming addiction may lead to insanity like Anders Behring Breivik from Norway, a World of Warcraft addict and mass murderer who killed 80 people in Norway. 

The most recent concerns about video game “addiction” have been based less on scientific facts and more upon media hysteria. By examining the literature, it will be demonstrated that the current criteria used for identifying this concept are both inappropriate and misleading. Furthermore, by presenting four case studies as examples it will be demonstrated how such claims of video game addiction can be inaccurately applied. It is concluded that the most likely reasons that people play video games excessively are due to either ineffective time management skills, or as a symptomatic response to other underlying problems that they are escaping from, rather than any inherent addictive properties of the actual games. So what then are the consequences of excessive video game playing? The primary consequence is time loss, and spending too much time on one activity can create its own problems. In a recent study of 280 video game players (Wood et al. 2007) it was found that 82% experienced time loss frequently or all the time. However, just over half of the players thought this had some positive features. Those who liked losing track of time reported that they found it a relaxing experience and a sign that the game was engaging and value for money, it provided temporary relief from the stress of everyday life. It showed that they were enjoying themselves so much that time passed quickly. Those who disliked time loss suggested that this was because it meant they missed appointments, it caused conflict with others, or they felt guilty that they could have been doing ‘better things.’ However, time loss was something that could be controlled and half of the players used strategies to limit how much time they spent playing, such as setting alarms, or getting someone to interrupt them after a set period of time.

After reading our research, we decided to do an investigation on the seriousness of gaming addiction of the secondary one students of the School of Science and Technology, 2012

First, we get information from various sources on what gaming addiction is, what it has led to and how to get rid of gaming addiction.

Secondly, we will interview gamers on what games are the most popular that they play, what makes them sick of the game and how we can help them.

Thirdly, we will finalize the data and plan on how to help addicted gamers quit their addiction.

Next, We will conclude our investigation of the explanation of why people get addicted and how.

After that, we will analyze the data and compile everything into our blog and presentation.

Lastly, we will present the finalized data.

Our results have show that most people play more than 8 hours a day and most of them like to play Dota 2.

Video game addiction is extreme use of computer and video games that interferes with daily life. Instances have been reported in which users play compulsively, isolating themselves from family and friends or from other forms of social contact, and focus almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than other life events, and exhibit lack of imagination and mood swings.

People play video games in order to relive stress or for pure entertainment. So people after playing video games to relive stress they get too engrossed in the video games and they get addicted.  

Technology is a wonderful tool that can and will be used for all time to help develop and maintain our society, but technology does bring with it a new level of responsibility; the responsibility of remembering what is really important in this world of instant meals and dazzling entertainment. Humanity must realize where it has come from and who it came with. People must keep their friends close, and be prepared to help those who fall victim to the over use of technology. Addiction claims hundreds of lives in many different ways every year. Just remember that it is never too late to get help, and it could just save your life or the life of someone you know. 

So to prevent computer management we have to take some actions like
interview gamers on what games are the most popular that they play, what makes them sick of the game and how we can help them. We also can give talks about time management to teens and teach them how to manage their own time well and balance between gaming and other things in life. Computer gaming can be a good form of entertainment and relief a lot of stress from our lives but if we abuse the use of computer and gaming we would get addicted and it would ruin our lives.

If we were to do a further research on gaming addiction, we will investigate on how to quit gaming addiction.

There are many ways to help quit gaming addiction but our group has chosen one of it. It is to hold a gaming competition to help gamer quit their addiction. We will help them quit their addiction by lagging the game when they are playing, make other problems as well when they are playing to help them quit gaming addiction.

We will know if we successfully help them quit their addiction of gaming as we will make the gamers do a survey before and after the games and from there we will find out if we were successful in helping them quit gaming addiction.

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