Today, many children spend a lot of time playing computer games and little time on sports. What are the reasons for this and is it a positive or negative development?

It is true that many youngsters waste hours and hours on

computer

games, neglecting sports and physical exercise. I believe that there is at least one important factor to account for

this

trend, which is in my opinion a totally negative one. I would argue that the marketing industry is chiefly culpable for the fact that a growing number of children are addicted to

computer

games. Even in developing countries, a lot of youngsters these days are

computer

-literate, and software companies know how children are easily swayed by the novelty of playing new games. Through their advertising,

such

companies aim specifically at children as their target audience to promote their products. These soon become obsolete and are replaced by new ones.

As a result

, children are not taking up sports .

Instead

, they find their excitement in imaginary virtual worlds of gaming rather than the real, physical world. The main argument against

computer

games is that they are detrimental to children’s

health

.

Firstly

, a sedentary lifestyle is encouraged by playing

computer

games, whereas youngsters need to take regular exercise. Without sport, children may become prone to obesity . My cousin,

for example

, never plays any sports and he is putting on weight, mainly because of all the hours that he spends playing

computer

games.

Secondly

, too much time spent on

computer

games may lead to social isolation and resulting mental

health

problems. It might be a good idea for

computer

games to be sold with a warning that they carry

health

risks, like cigarettes or alcohol. In conclusion, advertisers are responsible for the gaming obsession of many youngsters, and I consider that

this

has serious negative consequences for

health

.