VOA Excerpt: Video Games & Mental Health
Here is an excerpt of a reading from VOA Learning English about video games, technology, and mental health. Do you know anyone addicted to video games? If you’d like more English resources, click here.
“From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
One of the most common complaints among American parents today is children spending too much time on a computer or other electronic devices. This is especially true if the child spends several hours a day playing video games.
Parents may begin to worry that gaming is more than just a waste of time. They fear it might become an addiction. The child could develop a strong desire or need to keep playing.
Officials at the World Health Organization are worried, too. They say playing video games creates strong feelings of pleasure and reward in the brain. And in some cases, that can lead to addictive behavior. So, the WHO has listed “gaming disorder” as a mental health condition.
Mental health experts are debating whether the move is helpful or not. They say the WHO’s declaration may simply frighten parents into thinking their child is addicted to video games.
But to others, the possibility of gaming becoming an addiction is very real. After all, video game creators want to design programs that keep people playing.
People can slowly become addicted to video gaming. Some may play for hours. They lose interest in doing other things. They stop going to school or work…”
VOCABULARY LIST:
- Complaint (N)-a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something.
- Addiction (N)– a strong and harmful need to regularly have something or do something.
- Reward (N)– When you’re given or receive something that has been done or that is offered for something that might be done.
- Pretend (V)– to act as if something is true when it is not true.
- Originally (ADV)–in the beginning: when something first happened or began.
- Abruptly (ADV) – very sudden, brief, and not expected.
- Spontaneously (ADV)– done or said in a natural and often sudden way and without a lot of thought or planning.
- Excessive (ADJ) – going beyond what is usual, normal, or proper.
- Cautious (V)– going beyond what is usual, normal, or proper.
- Consume (V)– to eat or drink (something).
- Interfere (V)-to become involved in the activities and concerns of other people when your involvement is not wanted.
- Sustainable (ADJ)-able to last or continue for a long time.
