Video games are taking the world by storm; they are fun and addictive, which can lead to problems. These problems are usually found in teenage boys and some teenage girls. Based on personal interviews and a student survey, I have found that student responses to the stimulation of playing video games differs.
After asking, “Do you think students in the area suffer from sleep deprivation, get tired, or stop focusing due to video games?” I gathered the results. These responses will be from three current and former students.
Former Proviso East student David Cusic said, “I think most students do suffer a lack of focus.” Focus is one of the many things students lose when they play or think about video games.
When asked why, Cusic said, “Most likely during school, they think about what they might do next, or what it would be like to play a different game.” These ideas run through students’ heads, especially during school, since most consider school “boring”.
When asked if he had ever experienced this problem, he said, “Yes, I have, which is making my grades suffer.” Lack of focus can make students’ grades suffer, especially when taking tests.
Leonel Perez, another former Proviso East High School student, said, “I believe that students do suffer from sleep deprivation.” Sleep deprivation is when students don’t go to sleep as much, or don’t go to sleep for a certain reason. For some, that reason could be video games.
When asked why, Perez said, “I think that students stay up to try and complete a certain mission or quest, which can take hours if not days to complete.” The desire to feel completion in a certain task is crucial to having fun when playing video games. Some students risk a few hours of sleep just to complete that one task.
“Yes, this has happened to me,” said Perez, “which has made me lose focus at work and in school.” Sleep deprivation stops consistency in one’s work, school, or job, which can even affect your personal life.
“Nah, I personally don’t suffer from it.” said Ernesto Reyes, a new Proviso East freshman who just came in this year. This is a person who doesn’t struggle from sleep deprivation, but let’s ask why.
“I know how to manage my sleep schedule, since I have other responsibilities like soccer,” said Reyes. By managing a good sleep schedule, you’re able to prevent sleep deprivation, which is what he did.
“I’ve never woken up late to school, honestly, I don’t even play video games as much, just to be clear,” says Reyes. So for Reyes, time management is crucial for video games.
After asking those three current and former students, I conducted a survey to ask other kids in different classes if they suffer from sleep deprivation. The results didn’t come back as I expected.
In a survey of 41 students, over 85% of respondents said that they don’t suffer from sleep deprivation. But a few mentioned other struggles, including being tired and having “things on their mind.”
The survey also shows students prefer to play alone instead of playing with family, friends, or random multiplayers. Even so, I feel like kids in a certain group I studied didn’t know what the idea of sleep deprivation was.
