Sevretary General of IeSF WS Oh
Cares weigh heavily upon my heart. It even tears me apart that the situation is running toward wrong direction.
A definition for the word, addiction, by a famed doctor just crosses through my head. He says that ‘addiction’ is a phenomenon happening when our body continuously desires or performs more than necessary. For instance, sugar addiction is a behavior of our body seeking to intake sugar than need be, and exercise addiction happens when our body attempts to exercise than need be. Namely it becomes trouble when it crosses the line, but the behavior itself is not the problem.
Seeking for fun, pleasure and amusement are essential part of human behavior for human living. Nay, perhaps human live for the pursuit of happiness. I don’t understand why they are making the error ‘to break a butterfly on a wheel,’ although there definitely are factors of happiness which game gives us. Prior to arguing about game addiction of youths, if you are a real parent truly worrying about your children, it is proper to seriously deliberate what the interest and pleasure for them are prior to anything. There are huge gap and difference between the world that we used to live (industrial society) and the world that current generation is living (information-oriented society). Thus, the amusing factor for old generation and one for young generation are totally differentiated. Then, it would be more appropriate to actively participate in what our children are exuberating with them, rather than chiding and deterring them for their own amusing factor. I certainly know it is a lot more effective and powerful resolution from my direct experiences. For my son, a college student who is keeping his end up, since my son was elementary school student which is 10 years ago, I was an ‘irresponsible’ father in the tone of recent criticism on games, who have unlimitedly supported game CDs as he wanted. The only difference is that I was able to talk with my son about games as I got interested in games. My son still plays games when he is stressed out. I have never told him to stop plying them. Also, either my son has never addicted to them, or stood against me with this issue. Thus, I always tell my son, “I am not your leader, but a mentor. You should enjoy your life, and what you need to do is do what you like to do. I will always be the fence of the playground where you gambol just gladly.”
The reason why I dwelt on my personal story is due to the question whether the older generations currently worrying about game addiction properly understand and definite amusing factors of our youths. Also, the older generation should take a chance to reflect if they are somehow addicted to something, such as golf addiction, work addiction, or food addiction. As stated above, since addiction is the term that the body and mind seek for something more than necessary, it is not to flatly deny the subject itself, but to treat to control themselves.
There is also other perspective. In Russia, where the longer history of e-sports exists, e-sports activities are recognized as effective activities to close and treat drug and alcohol addictions of youths, and actively supported by the federal government. It is pitiful that some people cannot think in positive way, while other people sharing same history cope with the same phenomenon toward positive direction with active participation. Moreover, in South Africa, e-sports are used as remedy to help student suffering from poverty by offering them scholarship to enter colleges, and providing occupation related to e-sports. It is also gladly supported by education departments and schools. We should notice there are diverse perspectiveIf pursuit of amusement is an instinct of human beings, isn’t it better to induce youths to find dynamics of sports through games when they search for a subject to release their stress.
It is not possible to resolve the fundamental problem if we point out issues from the teeth forward, and look for easier answer such as obligating by laws. The older generation should concern in depth for younger generation to seek for pleasure and pursue happiness in their own way. Also, we rather not recklessly contradict the subject itself, but prepare specific and attentive resolution against addiction, in terms of excessive desire.
Super-high speed information-oriented society, which older generations have never experienced before, is here. Also, in the future, ultra fusion society, that nobody can anticipate, is approaching. It is totally wrong that the older generations just sit back with the face of ‘I know everything’, as decorating their old experience as plausible excuses with short knowledge, and tell our children ‘do this, and don’t do that.’ We should rather come clean about our ignorance, and try harder to share and experience of younger generations’ pursuit. If we attend together, communicate with each other, and laugh and enjoy, I can undoubtedly say that there must be an answer.
