Assist. Prof. Dr. Sevinç Kaçar, gives advice in relation to digital games

Cyprus International University (CIU), Faculty of Education, Department of Basic Education Academic Staff, Assist. Prof. Dr. Sevinç Kaçar, stating that negative consequences may be born from children preferring digital games over traditional games, went on to advise that children who play digital games excessively may experience problems in language development or developmental delay, aggressive feelings, thoughts, and behaviors developed due to violent content, health problems such as addiction and obesity, or undesirable situations such as sexual abuse.

Reminding that humans begin to discover the objects around them from the moment they are born, Kaçar went on to state, “Therefore, children's games are a vehicle in itself, they convey their thoughts and feelings through play”.

Highlighting that children used to play more traditional games such as blind midwives and hide-and-seek, Assist. Prof. Dr. Kaçar advised that today with the development of technology, there is more interest with digital games.

Pointing out that there are a plethora of negative consequences with relation to children playing digital games excessively, Kaçar noted that due to this, many parents try to hide their smartphones and game consoles from their children, or prevent them from using it.

Assist Prof. Dr. Kaçar advised that approaching children with 'Digital Game Addiction' in this way only makes them more determined rather than discouraging them from playing, and noted that instead, parents should first accept that digital games are a reality of life.

Reminding that digital games do not always have negative aspects, Kaçar went on to advise, “Digital games also have positive aspects to them, such as being used as educational material for children to learn foreign languages, as well as improving children's ability in strategy development and the development of quick decision-making, as well as assisting in in the treatment of medical issues such as physiological stuttering and social phobia”.

Kaçar: "Parents should improve their digital literacy"
Advising that parents should improve their digital literacy instead of preventing children from playing digital games, Kaçar stated that they could obtain more detailed and healthy information on this subject by visiting sites such as https://www.guvenlioyna.org.tr/galeri/dijital-oyun-incelemeleri, http://farkindayiz.gov.tr/, or https://pegi.info/.

Stating that parents may prefer for their children to play the following games, especially during their development, such as MentalUP, Minecraft, World of Zoo, Wii Sports, Abzu, LittleBigPlanet, Cut The Rope, Threes!, Toca Life: City, TRT Kids Underwater Explorer and Blox 3D Junior, Kaçar noted that these games do not contain elements of violence or sexual assault, and that these games support the development of children's mental, sensory and psychomotor skills.

Emphasizing that parents should pay attention to games such as GTA, PUBG, Slenderman, and League Of Legends (LOL), who all have major disadvantages, Kaçar said that children should not be permitted to play these games.