Health+and+social+education 10 report

50 Excellent Personal Projects
Computer games-Worth risking your life?

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2009


Contents

Introduction…………………………………………3
!My goals………………………………………………….3

Plan……………………………………………….…4

Areas of Interaction………………………………....4

Description of the Process…………………………..5
!Investigation………………………………………………5

!Creation…………………………………………………...6

!Evaluation………………………………………………....6

Analysis………………………………………………7

Conclusion………………………………………..…10

Bibliography……………………………………..….12

Appendix……………………………………….…...14

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Introduction
My personal project topic is about the seriousness of computer addiction,
especially addiction to games, by teenagers. I personally believe that discussing issues
related to game addiction is extremely significant, since large amounts of teenagers,
these days, suffer from such addiction (Cromie).

This is a topic I can handle for months without losing focus, because I
practically use the computer every day. Actually I am an addict of computer games,
and I felt that it was necessary for me to overcome this disorder. I craved to
understand more about computer game addiction, in order for me to fully regain
control of my body. Therefore without hesitation, I decided to investigate about
computer game addiction.

The pre-dominant reason why I am so interested in computer game addiction is
that I suddenly got addicted. I lived in England for five years and I hardly touched the
computer in my house. I didn’t use it because I preferred to play outside with friends
and learn more about their culture. However, within a year of my return to Korea at
the age of 12, I was totally addicted to computers games. I couldn’t understand how a
person could be suddenly addicted to something in such a short period of time. I
always wished to find an answer to this strange event that happened to me and this
project gave me the opportunity to fully research and analyze it.

These days, about 88% of every household in an industrialized country, has at
least one computer which has access to the Internet (Bray). The advent of computers
and the Internet had a massive impact on society (History of Computation). The
Internet allows us to get access to world wide information of current news; education
as well as entertainment. Therefore, parents believe that computers can help their
children for research and studying purposes. Unfortunately, more and more teenagers
‘go off the track’ from what they are supposed to do and satisfy their needs (Young).
Although there is an increasing demand for computers from teenagers, most of them
frankly wants it for the purpose of entertainment (Evangelista). This disorder can be
self-diagnosed if one attempts to recover (Trimpey), however I want to reinforce the
idea further. In order to prevent such phenomenon from happening in our society, I
have several goals I want to achieve by the end of the project.

My Goals
1. I will try to raise awareness in the school about how computer game
addiction can cause serious problems in our lives. I will explain the side
effects and tell events where such addiction affected people’s lives. I am
planning to make such announcements in student assemblies.

2. I will conduct research about the amount of time the students, in our school,

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play computer games. The best way to obtain such data is through a survey
about the usage of computers. After collecting the data, I will try to analyze
the information and come to a conclusion about computer addiction in our
school.

3. My major product of the project will be a booklet, which sums up the main
idea of computer game addiction. A booklet packed with information is too
boring; therefore it will include photos and separate alternative ways to
overcome the problem. I will also make sure that everyone can easily
understand it.

4. Most importantly, my final goal is to reduce my own playing hours on the
computer. I am still struggling to resist myself from playing. I am planning
to write a detailed reflection on my progress of playing on computer games
based on the amount of time spent playing.

Plan
I have a few ideas on how I am planning to achieve my goals. To start with, I am
going to find the correct and accurate definition of addiction. This is important
because if I misunderstand this word, my project would not make sense. Next, I am
planning to collect data and statistics on computer addiction and game addiction. I
should finish all of the investigation part by the end of November so that I can
quickly create my booklet.
I must create a survey to find out the students ‘addiction’ state, reactions and
opinions of computer game addiction. I plan to go around homerooms and give out
the surveys and use recycled paper to help the environment. The survey should be
completed before mid December to give enough time to analyze it.
I am also aiming to use internet sources, teachers and any sources that are
possible to develop my booklet. I should summarize the information and paraphrase to
avoid plagiarism. I will try to get help from my supervisor and the IT teacher in
perfecting my booklet. Microsoft Publisher would be the preferable program to create
the booklet, because there are specific formats and structure I can use. I will complete
the booklet by January.
I will also have to note down the amount of time I played on the computer. I
have to keep a detailed record so that I can later reflect on whether I have improved
my condition or not. In relation to this, I will write up the reflective essay by
February.

Areas of Interaction: Health and Social Education (HSE)
My personal project topic is significantly focused and interrelated with Health
and Social Education. As stated in the criteria, this focuses on educating people to
have physically as well as mentally healthy life (Appendix A). The following aspects

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help in understanding this project better;
" Being addicted to computer games is mainly dependent on the behaviors
and actions of someone in their life. No matter how addicted one is to
computer games, he or she can be treated through special health cares. It
delivers the message of the importance in our physical and metal health as
well as our knowledge.

" Health and Social Education includes the process of using our knowledge to
help our whole body. Also, our bodies were not like this from the start,
something stimulated this to occur and such changes can be discovered by
answering questions related to Health and Social Education.

" My project is mainly for teenagers, the period when children develop into
the next phase of their life and become more mature, therefore the process is
important. Health and Social Education is embedded within these aspects,
dealing with changes and adolescence.

" Furthermore, I can check and evaluate myself in my health conditions.
Through this project, I can contribute in warning others of the seriousness of
computer game addiction. Also, I feel a sense of responsibility to actually
prevent students from becoming addicted.

Description of the Process
Investigation
<Identify the problem >
The problem that needs to be identified is computer game addiction for teenagers. It is
an unfortunate truth that more teenagers are starting to play computer games to the
extent.

<The Design Brief>
Instead of straightly jumping in on the investigation-research phase, I spent some time
in creating a design brief. I made some questions that could guide me while I was
researching (Appendix B)

<The Design Specification>
I created a design specification stating the information about the layout of the booklet.
I planned the whole structure; it has pictures on every page and detailed descriptions.
The analysis of the state of IST students and other sub topics are also included.

Before I started investigating, I critically thought about the kinds of information I
am meant to research. It’s a waste of time if I suddenly go off the track and spend time
on irrelevant things. When I needed to find a general idea, I used the Internet and

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collected a variety of data. However, if it was a specific topic or idea, I used the
Internet, the encyclopedia or electronic copies of books to gain detailed knowledge.
One aspect I considered carefully was the risk of copying and pasting useful
information from the Internet. I fully read the passage and summarized the
information in my own words. Also, I always remembered to cite the sources I have
used after each finding.
To sum up, the research steps I followed are;
" Research with the guiding questions
" Check whether I am researching relevant information
" Categorize the information that can be found in the Internet, and the encyclopedia
or on-line books
" Always remember to cite the source and never copy and paste pages of
information

Overall, I think that I have used the Internet the most, as a resource tool. I
planned not to use Internet a lot, because it contradicts with my topic of computer
game addiction. However, I could not resist from the attracting force of the Internet.
Although there isn’t much information available locally, I at least made an attempt to
find the necessary information manually. I think that the use of encyclopedia and
non-printed books comes second in the range of resources I used.

Creation
I had to follow the plan and start making the product. However, my mind changed
about creating the booklet, because I thought that a website was much better, using
Dreamweaver. After a long discussion with my supervisor, I eventually decided to
follow my original plan for it was more productive and useful than a website.
I used appropriate techniques and sophisticated information to create the booklet.
Although it was the first time for me to use Microsoft Publisher, I developed the skills
to create an effective brochure or booklet, through the use of guiding manuals for the
Publisher.
After the layout and the pages were set up, I started to type all of the require
information. There was a lot to write in all categories (Appendix C). Although I had
all of the information, it took some time to organize pieces of information.
Although my final product is the booklet, I had to create a survey as well to find
out about the state of IST students using computers. I created the survey through Word
Processor and I managed to print most of them with recycled paper. Then, I went
around in homeroom times and asked the secondary students to fill out the form.

Evaluation
I believe that I have continuously considered the aspects of Health and Social
Education, because I tried to complete tasks in relation to it. I needed to evaluate and
test my product to see if it has any influence on the readers. I decided to hand out

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some copies of the booklet to the community and record their reaction and general
opinion of whether they think the booklet is effective or not. (Appendix D)
In between each stages of the Design Cycle, I received a variety of feedbacks
from many people. I received the most advice from my supervisor, for we had a lot of
meetings and kept contacted through e-mail. Not only my supervisor, but the
homeroom teacher also was a great help for continuously reminding us of the due date.
Other teachers as well as friends gave feedbacks of my progress and work.
I believe that through all parts of the Design Cycle, I had no major problems.
Although creating the booklet took longer than I expected, I am very pleased with my
work. The booklet meets all the requirements I have set in my initial goals. It has
specific information about the addiction and it’s relatively easy to understand.

Analysis
The question of ‘what inspired you to do this project’ can date back to when I was
in sixth grade at Korea. As I mentioned in the introduction, in just one year, I was
totally addicted to computer games. I desired to find out this eccentric phenomenon,
because it seemed too frightening and mysterious. This whole event gave me the
inspiration to do this project.
I started the research with investigating the correct definition of computer
addiction. Although I am studying about computer game addiction, I needed to start
from a broader view. I was quite sure that there was not much difference between a
computer addict and a computer–game addict, because the latter is an example of
computer addiction. I collected numerous data, both electronic and printed, to
understand this concept better.
First of all computer addiction is a mental disorder that can harm the addict’s
social relationship, school work as well as the family (Media Family). When students
play hours on the computer, they become vulnerable to dangerous parts of society.
This is because they play in complete solitude and they can lose their sense of
friendship, love and emotion. According to the Los Angeles Times (Roger), some
people even play games up to 30 hours a week. These people are unable to control
themselves, because they feel satisfied and happy while they are playing games.
I searched in the internet to get some idea about the causes of computer game
addiction. Some believe that the main cause of such disorder is the advent of
computers and the Internet (Bartekian). The combination of the two strong sources led
to the creation of entertainment in computers.
Another cause is the lack of parental supervision and support (Noemi). A lot of
parents do not bother to monitor their child in what they are doing and where they are
going. Parents must limit their child’s use of computer, because if they don’t, the
children will continue to play. It’s the same case for me when I was in Korea. The
computer was located in my room, which made it difficult for my parents to supervise
me.
Other causes include whether a child could socialize or not. For most children,

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they start to play game, because their friends play it as well. In order to fit in, children
play games and desire to express that they are good in that game to the others.
However, there are cases where children start to play games, because they don’t have
anyone to socialize with. Instead, they make on-line friends, which persuade them to
play the game more.
I investigated about the certain signs and symptoms of people having computer
game addiction. I was really surprised at how the symptoms exactly fit with what I am
currently having. Through investigating this, I was more than certain that I was a
complete addict of computer games.
For students, the most recognizable sign is receiving lower grades in the school
(Roger). The time which is meant to be spent on academic work is replaced with
computer games; therefore, students tend to not do school work. Also related to school,
is that addicts fall asleep in the school (Media Family). They reduce the hours of sleep
and play games late into the night, or wake up early in the morning and play. Another
sign is that the addict plays computer games in order to relieve stress and feel satisfied
(Orzack). Likewise to this, they feel irritated and depressed when they are not playing
games. Another critical sign is that the addict often is untruthful about their usage of
computer and the addiction (Media Family). The addict also rarely goes out to play
with friends. They try to solve personal problems by playing games too (Roger). The
addict tends to skip meals and continue to play the game, or sometime eat while
playing. Lastly, the addict tends to show behaviors that are similar to the genre of the
game; it affects the life style of the player.
I also looked up for some real issues related with computer game addiction.
Orzack (Harvard University psychologist), receives e-mails everyday from computer
addicts asking her for advice to solve the problem. There was a phrase in one of the
emails which I thought was very terrifying and scary is “It is almost like the computer
owns me”, because once a person is addicted, it is extremely difficult to be free of it
(Appendix E).
I investigated the consequences of computer game addiction. According to Vijai
P. Sharma (A health doctor), addicts neglect and totally sacrifice parts of their life;
family and social relationships. It makes the addict feel angry when they are
restrained from playing too. The addict gets very obsessed with winning and losing
and violent games reinforce that effect (Sharma). From my experience, health
problems occur, such as backaches, sore-eyes and sometimes you hear game
music-hallucinations. Overall, the addicts feel bored, depressed and anxious when
they are out in the real society.
I have learnt that there are a variety of ways to stop playing and prevent
computer game addiction, First of all, one must limit the time spent playing
computer games. It is most important that the game user knows when to play and not
to play computer games. Parents must punish if the child disobeys with the rule of
playing games in the house. This will mentally affect the behavior, because they won’t
be able to play freely and consider when to stop. Other ways are to regularly meet a
therapist if the child shows any symptoms of the addiction. Finally, it is important to
exercise regularly outside and socialize with friends.

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Health and Social Education was the main focus of my project. It guided me to
research according to the different aspects listed and stimulated me to learn and reflect
upon my work. Computer game addiction occurs to those who are weak in controlling
their mind and such aspects deal with the principle of Health and Social Education.
Everything I investigated had some relevance to my project as well as my own
self. At the very beginning of this project, I wasn’t going to create any surveys,
because I thought that it would take too much time to; create, hand out and analyze
them. However, now I am glad that I created the surveys because I have real data in
my booklet, which makes it more convincing (Appendix F).
Through the investigation stage, I think that I solved part of my initial goal. I
learned how dangerous computer game addiction can be. After researching about the
serious consequences, I didn’t really want to play much any more. I must admit that I
haven’t yet been able to accomplish my goal of announcing to the school community
of the seriousness of computer game addiction. I spent too much time on researching
and creating the product.
The process I followed to complete my research was similar to what I had
planned in the early stages. I tried to use the guiding questions to research effectively,
although at times I did ignore them and researched in a different way. There was a
time when I was struggling to decide whether to change the final product to a website
or stay with making the booklet. The fact that using Dreamweaver, a program that
makes web pages, was fun to use made me reconsider. To think about it, I am glad that
I stayed with the booklet, because I didn’t have to change the plan and the process I
followed.
The research I did is an integral part of my Area of Interaction, Health and Social
Education. Not only did I simply use the information I found to create a booklet, but I
went a step further and tried to understand what I was doing and learned a lot. The
fact that I decided to perform a survey illustrates how I wanted to look after others in
my school. I didn’t want any addicts; because I have faced the terrible consequences
and changes that occur to your body. I also developed some responsibility by making
my own decisions and solving problems. It’s all about the changes that occur to us
during our adolescent years and we have to make sure that it doesn’t get messed up by
some addiction.

The research I did motivated me to successfully create a detailed and effective
booklet. Through the research, I understood how frightening it can be to be addicted
to computer games or any addiction, because it eventually ends up to the point where
the addict’s body and life is ruined. I became determined and ready to persuade every
reader into an anti-computer game addict.

The process and initial plan were modified, because of the research. I was too
passionate about learning more about computer addiction that I spent too much time
on it. I was meant to quickly collect the information, then create the survey and finally
announce it to the school. Due to some poor time management, but diligent work on
the investigation stage, I wasn’t able to announce it to the school. Also, I planned to

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make the booklet having two pages, but the amount of information I found made me
to create four pages.

Conclusion
Overall, I believe that my personal project, investigating about the seriousness of
computer game addiction, was a successful piece of work. While I was completing
this project, there were times when everything went just as I expected. The
investigation phase was very successful, because I managed to create guiding
questions that allowed me to focus on what I am meant to research. The school library,
teachers, friends and most importantly the Internet were some excellent sources. The
creation of the booklet worked quite well, because I followed the beginner’s guide in
using the Microsoft Publisher. To add, without the support from the community, I
wouldn’t have been able to complete this project. The secondary students supported
with the survey and some teachers and parents helped me with the interview for the
evaluation.
On the contrary, there were some parts where it did not work so well. I had
trouble finding the cause and consequences of computer game addiction. Although it
is one of the key factors of my project, there wasn’t much information about it.
Furthermore, the creation process was very slow. Since it was the first time to use
Microsoft Publisher, I wasn’t quite sure how to use it. The investigation and the
creation process took so long that I wasn’t able to announce the issue to the school.
However, I am glad that I can at least announce it on the exhibition day.

If I had the opportunity to do this project again, I would definitely be aware of the
time while I am investigating and creating. By researching at a faster pace, I could be
able to announce the topic to the community. I could also change the final product
into a research essay, because I was really motivated about the topic that I had a lot to
write.

This project has had a great impact on me. I think that I have fulfilled one of my
goals to reduce the time spent on computer games. Compared to myself before this
project, I am confident enough to state that I am no longer an addict. From this project,
I learned to control my mind fully, to resist the temptation of playing games. I feel
extremely thankful to this project, since it helped me to restore my mental health and I
learned that people can change their negative habits.
The community also benefited from my project as well. The project not only had
an impact to my friends, but also impacted on the behaviors of mothers towards their
child playing computer games. I have planted into the mother’s mind that letting their
child freely play games is unacceptable. In global terms, I hope that I am not the only
one who is concerned about this growing issue of young teenagers being addicted to
computer games. I have faith in those who are working hard to prevent this issue, such
as Orzack and Sharma.

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This project is to warn and prevent people from becoming addicts of computer
game. New perspectives could be considered from my product, such as the problem
with teenagers taking drugs. Some may be interested in the different addictions during
adolescent years. I hope that people at least consider this topic as a major problem and
find a solution to it sooner or later.

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Bibliography
Works Cited
"19th Century Contributions and their Impact on Elements of Modern Computers ."
History of Computation. 01 Apr 2004. 14 Nov 2008
<http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~ped/ped.html>.

Bartekian, Vatche. "Dealing With Computer And Internet Addiction." Ask Men. 15
Nov 2007
<http://www.askmen.com/fashion/body_and_mind/16_better_living.html>.

Bray, Hiawatha. "The Wiring of a Continent - Africa goes online." Afro-Nets. 24 Jul
2001. 24 Oct 2007 <http://www.afronets.org/archive/200107/msg00075.php>.

"Computer and Video Game Addiction ." National Institute on Media and the Family.
03 Nov 2005. 14 Nov 2007
<http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_gameaddiction.shtml>.

Cromie, William. "Computer Addiction is Coming On-line." The Harvard University
Gazette. 21 Jan 1991. 14 Nov 2007
<http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/01.21/computer.html>.

Evangelista, Benny. "Computers at the center of home entertainment." SF Gate. 19
May 2003. 11 Nov 2007
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/19/B
U280550.DTL&type=tech>.

Noemi, "Computer Game and Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Clinical
Disorder." Filipina Mothers Recovery Notes. 20 Aug 2006. 17 Nov 2007
<http://aboutmyrecovery.com/2006/08/20/computer-game-and-internet-addiction
-the-emergence-of-a-new-clinical-disorder/>.

Olds, Henry. "Ask an expert: How has technology improved education?." CNN Fyi.
13 Oct 2000. 21 Nov 2007
<http://edition.cnn.com/2000/fyi/teachers.tools/10/12/ask.expert.olds5/>.

Orzack, Maressa. "Psychiatric Times." Computer Addiction: What Is It?. Aug 1998.
19 Nov 2007 <http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p980852.html>.

Pitt, Gill. "Technology has improved, teacher says." The Virginian Pilot. 12 Jan 1995.
28 Oct 2007
<http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1995/vp950112/01110074.ht
m>.

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Sharma, Vijai. "Mind Publications." Beware Of Computer Addiction. 2004. 16 Nov
2007 <http://www.mindpub.com/art526.htm>.

Roger, Teresa. "A Matter of Mind and Body." Smart Computing Article. 00 Sep 1997.

Sandhills Publishing Company. 6 Feb 2008
<http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/cf
orkids/kid4097/kid4097.asp&guid>.

Shotton. "Computer Addiction." Computer Addiction. New York: Taylor and Franci,
1989. 18 Nov. 2007
<http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p980852.html>.

Trimpey, Jack. "Computer Addiction: Horrible New Scourge." The Journal of
Rational Recovery.
Washington D.C.: Rational Recovery Systems, 1996. 2 Dec. 2007
<http://www.rational.org/html_public_area/compadd.html>.

Young, Kimberly. "Adolescent Caught in the Net: Internet Addiction." Self Help
Magazine 1994-2008.Abstract. Ed. John Suler. 9 Dec. 2007
<http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/teens/addict.html>.

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Appendix A:
Health and Social Education (International Baccalaureate Organization 2002, MYP
Areas of Interaction, August 2002)
This area of interaction aims to educate the whole person and should prepare the
student for a physically and mentally healthy life. It should also develop in the student
a sense of responsibility for his/her own well-being and for the physical and social
environment.

There are many issues in this area where the student may reflect and demonstrate
understanding, exploring topics such as:
" Hygiene, physical and mental health, nutrition, work, rest, exercise, leisure,
alcohol, drugs, tobacco
" Adolescence, emotions, family life, sexual issues
" Consumer issues, peer influences, advertising, media, pressure groups
" Interpersonal relations, self-respect, responsibility and respect for others, family
and group relations, schools, peers
" Health and legal services, social issues, safety, firearms, vandalism, poverty and
delinquency

Appendix B
Guiding questions for the investigation:
" What is computer game addiction?
" Are you properly citing the information you found?
" Have you paraphrased the information?
" Are you using a variety of sources?

Appendix C
The lists of categories in my booklet are:
" Introduction
" What exactly is a computer game addiction
" The causes of computer game addiction
" Signs of people having computer game addiction
" Real issues related to computer game addiction
" The consequences of computer game addiction
" Methods to prevent computer game addiction
" The state of IST (International School of Tianjin) students

Appendix D
I admired how the people fully answered the questions and responded in a positive
manner.
I interviewed with two students’ mothers as well, because they are the ones who
can keep their child from being addicted to computer games. Although they were
quite shocked, I encouraged the mothers to resist their child’s use of computer if he or

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