Yemeni youth increasingly lured into virtual reality

The video game business is increasingly lucrative as more young people spend time gaming.

In the idle days of summer, an increasing number of young people are escaping from the poverty and crime of the real world into a virtual world where such things cannot truly hurt them. Videogame centers around Sana’a are thus seeing a marked increase in the popularity of videogames among Yemeni young people. This trend is alarming some critics, who believe that such games, particularly the violent ones, can lead to antisocial behavior among kids, and increase their social isolation.

The owners of the videogames centers said that the attendance of youth and children has been particularly high in the summer periods.  “The turnout of youth and children to videogame centers is so huge these days, to pass the time or for entertainment,” said Moneer al-Selwi, an employee in a club for playing videogames. “Most of them like to play videogames such as football, boxing and combating games, and some of them enjoy those games when they are chewing qat.”   

Dr. Adel al-Shagabi, a sociology Professor at Sana’a University, said that young people are drawn to videogames because they like to imitate the exciting actions they portray.  “They are watching these videogames being played by some children on television, so they like to imitate them. They tend to the individual nature of the games, not collective. “They are emulating those games, which are not compatible with the Yemeni environment, so their personalities will be more prone to isolation and not dialogue, so they remove young people away from a culture of dialogue,” said al-Shargabi.

“A culture of dialogue is the way of peace and forgiveness, and a culture of isolation is the way of violence and not accepting others.”
If the contents of the game shows violence and sex, the negative effects will be damaging to behavior and the instincts of children and young people, he said.In June 29, 2007, a new study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Mental Health and Media dispelled some myths and uncovered some surprises about young teens and violent video and computer games. 

The study, published in the July issue of Journal of Adolescent Health, was the first to ask middle-school youth in detail about the video and computer games they played, and to analyze how many of those titles are rated M (Mature - meant for ages 17 and up).  It was also the first to ask children why they play video games. Some of the more striking findings included the finding that almost all young teens play video games. Just 6 percent of the sample had not played any electronic games in the previous six months. Most 7th and 8th graders (ages 12 to 14) regularly play violent video games.

Worry grows about the effects of playing video games that portray violence, murder, theft and sex.

Two-thirds of boys and more than one in four girls reported playing at least one M-rated game “a lot in the past six months.”  A third of boys and one in 10 girls play video or computer games almost every day.  Many children play video games to manage their feelings, including anger and stress, said researchers. Children who play violent games are more likely to play to get their anger out. They are also more likely to play games with strangers on the Internet—which could lead to trouble.

“Contrary to the stereotype of the solitary gamer with no social skills, we found that children who play M-rated games are actually more likely to play in groups - in the same room, or over the Internet," says Cheryl K. Olson, ScD, co-director of the Center for Mental Health and Media and lead author of the study. "Boys' friendships in particular often center around video games." At a time when the availability of M-rated games is on the rise, it is important to explore their effects on the children who play them, the researchers noted.  This study added valuable insights into the everyday lives of young teens: who they're playing with, where, how much, and why. 

Olson's team found that Grand Theft Auto - rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, and use of drugs - was the most popular game series among the boys surveyed. Surprisingly, it was also the second most popular series among the girls after The Sims, a game that simulates the activities of a virtual family; one in five girls aged 12 to 14 had played Grand Theft Auto "a lot in the past six months."  This study had a large sample consisting of 1,254 children from two U.S. states and an extremely high response rate, as virtually every eligible child who attended participating schools on the survey day took part.

Children surveyed came from various socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and geographic groups, so these findings may represent the average middle-school child.  This study could give further ammunition to game critics. "But violent game play is so common, and youth crime has actually declined, so most kids who play these games occasionally are probably doing fine," Olson said. "We hope that this study is a first step toward reframing the debate from 'violent games are terrible and destroying society' to 'what types of game content might be harmful to what types of kids, in what situations?' We need to take a fresh look at what types of rules or policies make sense." 

The new study suggests ways that parents can limit children's use of violent games, including keeping game consoles and computers out of their bedrooms. "And watch what older family members bring home," says Olson. "Kids who play with older siblings are twice as likely to play M-rated games." Anwar al-Garrash, an actor, said that he considers gaming to be a big problem among Yemeni youth. "The family is the main reason boys play videogames. They resort to play violence games because they escape from their reality and society that is full also of violence, so that is lead to addiction," he said.

Mohammed al-Hamdani, an employee at CD shop in Sana’a, said that there are many games that youth and children come to buy. “There are two special video games that they like to play continually, Grand Theft Auto and God of War.” “These two games include several stages to play, and contain all kinds of murder, violence, theft, and sex,” said al-Hamdani. “Those games become addictive among youth, but it affects negatively on their minds.”

Grand Theft Auto and God of War  are games that have sexual scenes to attract youth to play it, said al-Hamdani. He worries that such games could lead boys to sexual relationships with girls they meet while playing the game, which he fears will ruin their morals.  Azam Aref, 18, of Sana’a, a student, said that he plays video games just to pass the time. “I play it at home with my computer because I do not like to play at videogames centers. They are so bad and dirty and they always have bad crowds,” said Aref.

“I feel good when I play violent games such as Grand Theft Auto, because they are exciting,” said Adi Gammal, 13, of Taiz. “I feel good when I kill bad people and reach to the high levels; I think I am a smart boy.”   Al-Shargabi said that we must guide and direct the youth, especially young children, to play games based on dialogue and forgiveness, not violence, in order to form personalities that are compatible with the environment around them.  

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