Video gaming: A harmless pastime or ruinous hobby?
There is a silent addiction to video games that is creeping up among Generation Z (Gen Z).
What you need to know:
- The gaming industry in Kenya is becoming increasingly popular.
- Children are no longer into traditional games like hide-and-seek.
The gaming industry is becoming increasingly popular among the young generation. At one gaming shop in Eastleigh, Nairobi, loud music blares from huge speakers to lure customers. And it seems to be working, judging by the large number of children and young men trickling into the shop.
They are a passionate bunch, these regulars. Children are no longer into the traditional games we played growing up like hide-and-seek and football.
Nowadays, they play virtual games, which in the past were pastimes for children from privileged families. After having a candid conversation with the establishment’s owner and two of his employees, I realise that there is a whole different side to gaming that I never knew existed.
Likened to gambling
For some gaming, is a vice that should be removed from the society while, for others, it should be embraced by all.
“To play, one needs to be sharp mentally or else they will keep losing,” says the proprietor, while arguing that it helps build players’ intelligence.
Players also earn money if they win. Of course, the loser is the one that pays up! This has been likened to gambling with children sometimes accused of going as far as to stealing from their parents just to play.
If they are unable to get money, they trade their clothes and toys to pay off their debts when they lose. According to the gaming shop operator, however, this is not their fault:
Ruined relationships
“When you go to the supermarket, the cashier doesn’t question the source of your money, so why should we question our clients’ sources?”
Gaming can become addictive, and has been blamed for ruined relationships.
As a parting shot, the operators of the gaming shop encouraged children to focus on education and only take gaming as a hobby. They also want taxes levied on such establishments subsidised, saying they should not be treated as gambling dens.
Granted, these games are addictive, but wouldn’t you rather have a child addicted to gaming than to drugs?
This article will probably stir up a debate among readers, but in the end, it’s all up to you to decide whether gaming is a vice or a harmless pastime.
Tracy Bonareri, 20, is a student at KCA University.
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