Living in the twenty-first century means that humans will be exposed to several technological

advancements. Online games have grown extremely popular among teens. It is believed that
between 70 and 90% of youths played these games in 2008. Video games can effect you in any ways
such as changing someone’s life and health. Many people believe that video games provide an
incomparable learning experience. However, video games distract from learning and actually hurt the
minds of teen players; thus, playing video or online games is unquestionably harmful to teenagers. As
a teenager, video games have given me fun and satisfaction, but the negative effects greatly impacted
my life.

First, uncontrollably high usage of video games results in poor academic performance. Students'
academic performance faces challenges as they play video games. It has an impact on students'
academic performance in terms of attendance, oral participation, and performance tasks. When
gaming takes over a student's life and the line is crossed, major consequences can occur, such as lack
of motivation and poor focus that result in poor academic performance.

Second, concentration problems occur as they keep on being addicted to gaming. Gaming is harmful
when you don’t have self-discipline. Developing poor concentration is when you find yourself
continually thinking about gaming and having difficulties focusing on other responsibilities. You are
preoccupied, which makes things harder to accomplish.

Finally, it decreases interactions with the outside world. Teenagers prefer the Internet as their current
social environment and begin to see the "real world" critically. Isolation is one thing, but avoiding
social activities exposes deeper anxiousness, low self-esteem, and a fear of rejection and failure to fit
in. This can make it difficult for teenagers to pursue their academic, career, and personal aspirations.

To sum it all up, playing video games is not a bad thing, but being addicted to them is. Video game
addiction can change someone’s life negatively. It can have harmful effects on young teens in
different ways. It has always been associated with poor academic performance, poor concentration,
and a lack of social skills. Have self-discipline and play responsibly.