Video games are a very popular form of entertainment. While there many benefits to playing them, they can be harmful to the mental health of teenagers.

According to Charlie Health, 86% of parents think their kids spend too much time gaming which interferes with their sleep, social interactions and mood.

Video games can be a very toxic environment through the undesired interactions with certain individuals it may potentially instigate.

“I regret meeting grown men in the video games pretending to be a teenager on minecraft and when I talked with them they asked for my address so I just blocked them,” senior Talia Kaspo said.

Developing unhealthy obsessions with video games can change aspects of a person. This can harm relationships.

“I’m not really able to go out as much because I’d rather stay at home and play video games. When someone texts me, I would be so focused on the game that I would ignore and forget the message,” Kaspo said.

Addiction is a common problem. In video game players, this is particularly deadly due to its hand in causing behavioral changes.

“If you do too much it can become addictive. Anything can turn into an addiction,” Mid-Pacific Esports Advisor Danelle Landgraf said.

Teenagers often spend a lot of money on the content of the video games, on top of the potentially hefty initial cost.

“People will also spend a lot of money on video games because they can promote things to make their characters better, which can end up wasting a lot of money,” sophomore Kael Muzzarini said.

However, there are positive aspects of playing video games for those that have experienced isolation.

The president of the Esports club believes that playing video games can actually help improve social skills.

“The biggest thing for me is community building. You get to be in an environment with people that have the same interests as you even if you are working against each other. As an introvert, I find it really easy to talk to other people when you aren’t looking at them face to face,” senior Zach Nishida said.

It can also be helpful for communication skills and when there’s group work, especially in a classroom.

“[Video games] give students an outlet with what they don’t normally get. Some students are afraid to speak up in class, but will in a video game. It helps students think strategically,” Landgraf said.

Not only do video games encourage cooperation and teamwork, but also creativity by creating them.

Senior Youngje Park developed an interest in making games after discovering a game design class and a game that allowed him to start this progress.

“I thought video games were interesting and willing to create something. When I got my first computer, I learned about the game Minecraft and I started to go into the programming part. I got to learn Java,” Park said.

One of the game genres he enjoys creating the most are action games.

“I create a lot of 2D games, I’ve been working with a lot of 2D pixel games before. I’ve made a lot of shooting games. I’m trying to work more on 3D games,” Park said.

Although video games may not be the best platforms, they can have a huge impact on and make a difference in people’s social interactions.

“Hopefully in the future, we can have more of the gaming aspect to do different things such as education and there are other games such as kahoot and gamekit. These types of things help accelerate students’ growth and especially people who are hard of paying attention.” Nishida said.