Old school games vs modern games

From old to new, changing of things is something that's always a constant. From gilli-danda to the modern free fire, ludo, the aspect of games has also seen a wide spectrum of change. The old school gaming which included riding tyres, running around, seven stones, hopping with friends and out-going changed into a monotonous one-track playing version being occupied in their rooms and not getting the basic physical activity they require. While these old-time games always gave kids a surreal opportunity to bond and stay united, with that missing in the modern day of gaming, children are confined to a room not knowing how external play time feels.

As years back we saw kids playing games like gilli-danda, hide and seek, seven stones, however, now children are seen confined in their rooms by getting dependent on materialistic things, playing games online and not interacting with the society outside, hence not getting to see the realistic world.

While speaking to some psychologists, they pointed out that, in today's modern time children are not facing the socio world outside. They are just dependent on materialistic things. Some also pointed out that parents must also take an initiative to play with their children and make them move around in the society to interact with the world outside.

"If you go by the need of developing children, social interaction plays a crucial role as it is an important need for having mental balance. In earlier days, when people used to go out and play, there was a sense of interaction, bonding which is not happening in today's modern generation. Today, it is all about competitions and not developing a sense of relationship, belongingness or togetherness, as in olden days people were seen enjoying playing games together. In earlier times, 'together was the thing, and now it is all separate' and this is the reason children facing mental health issues," said Rooshi Hashmi, Psychologist Transformation Coach and Energy Healer

"These days we see very few children venturing out and playing as they are mostly found playing with gadgets. It is parents who have to take an initiative of spending time with their children and make them interact with the socio world outside," she adds

Dr Purnima Nagaraja, Mental Health Professional said, "In earlier days emphasis was always on physical education. But now children are always seen confined at homes as they are now addicted to mobiles. Over time they become isolated and the only friend they have to vent their feelings is usually an internet platform."

"In today's date if you ask someone how many friends you have, they will say I have many internet friends. But the fact is there are very few who hangouts or play with their friends outdoors. By children just staying confined to themselves the level of depression, frustration and anxiety in them is increasing. The need for love validation is very high on the virtual level and not on the real level," added Purnima

Meanwhile, Asif Hussain Sohail, president of Telangana Parents Association for Child Rights and Safety said, "As there are no playgrounds in the localities and roads are very congested it is very dangerous for children to play on the roads. Someone has to promote the joy of playing outdoors for children to come outside and play rather than sticking on to the gadgets. Playing sports is very important as it keeps us healthy. We have started a campaign called, 'Know your neighbour, know your colony,' where we connect people so that everyone can interact and connect to each other to have a community bonding."