The Herd Mentality of Adolescents as Shown in Their Participation in Online Gaming

Abstract

At an alarming pace, internet gaming has become more popular among teens worldwide. This has been spurred by technical improvements that have resulted in the production of high-graphic films and characters in gaming that are very appealing due to their lifelike characteristics and realistic, complex game systems. These characteristics attract a large number of teenagers, the majority of whom experience no negative consequences. Nevertheless, some of the most avid adolescent gamers are unable to maintain a healthy balance between gaming, schoolwork, social obligations, and other obligations. Consequently, the majority of teenagers have almost the same mindset as described in this research. The evidence for the claim is shown by analysis of teenage behaviors involved in gaming through the use of literature reviews and available data from relevant databases in order to demonstrate how they perceive the concept of participation in online gaming and connect them with real-life experiences. This paper will show how gaming has impacted on personal and social lives of most adolescents by addressing the psychological and mental issues that they have to encounter during this period of development and growth to become decent adults.