Online games are a new rage on the Internet than other thing that people log on to the web and it is one of the fastest growing segments on the Internet. For some online games are a leisure and unwinding tool to help boost altered egos from daily pressures of life while for some it a waste of time.

You might have got bored watching television and would like to do something else, you do not want to go out and meet friends nor are in any mood for a dinner outside you want to laze around the house and do something entertaining if possible. What could the best options than playing free online games that has been designed for every age group. Parents can also join their children in online games that would surely make them come closer and will also enable them to control the types of games played and the hours spent by their children. Online games are fun and sharpen strategic thinking and improve our responses. But have you ever thought of the consequences if one gets addicted towards these online games that have been conceptualized for fun?

You will find numerous journals, surveys revealing the alarming rate of people getting addicted towards these games and the sad consequences following them. Older people playing online games for several hours are losing their social contacts and young people spending less time with their friends or in other social things. They display more aggressive behaviors and less supportive behaviors. With the enormous rise in the popularity and affordability of computer games and equipment, and high speed internet connections contribute significantly to the computer games addiction. Thus online computer games have a profound impact on the lives of individuals threatening their normal growth and development. Usage of a disproportionate amount of time on the video game and thinking about it even when you are not on the video game or you continue to spend disproportionate amount of your money, are the symptoms of addiction. Addiction is when you cannot stop yourself getting away from it and you need to do it more and you crave it when it is not there. A computer addiction is like an eating disorder.

This computer games addiction is a way for the person to escape from their regular life in the real world to the world of fantasy where they achieve more control of their social relationships in the virtual reality realm than in real relationships. While there is no quick, overnight cure for computer games addiction parents can limit their child's exposure to video games, especially the more violent ones. Their simple rule can minimize media's potentially harmful effects on their child/children.