Fifty years from now , books , newspapers and magazines will be mere relics of the past .

Most
communication , whether factual or expressive , will be made through sound and pictures . In other
words , images will replaces text as the main form of communication . Consequently , our collective
though process will move from being linear , single and sequential to simultaneous , multi-layered and
holistic . This is likely to mean that people will become less analytical and more intuitive . This will go
on in a continuous , self-reinforcing cycle because the more we think non-linearly , the less we will
communicate with text which will cause even more non-linear thinking , which will lead to less text
and more dependence on this visual .

Are we becoming entrenched in a culture of violence ? The prevalence of violence on our screens-television , internet ,
films and even cartoons-bears testimony to our lack of awareness of the steady stream of violence that our children are
being exposed to . In fact , many electronic games are relentlessly violent , militaristic and graphic . They grant the player
the privilege of pulling the trigger . Through regular exposure to an electronic war zone , this build up in a child a steady
desensitization to violence and the loss of compassion for human life . Yet we are perplexed by the violence committed
by the young .

Electronic games are addictive . Surprisingly , most people are not fully aware of the impact these games are
having on children , or of what children make of the games content . Few parents monitor their children or worry about
the potential effects these games have on their children’s impressionable minds . They see the activity as a benign
pastime , and expect their children to remain unaffected . They have little idea of the scale and avidity with which their
children play the games , and how much their young lives are disrupted .

Indeed , electronic games tend to isolate children instead of providing them with opportunities for socialization .
Most children typically play electronic games by themselves in their own rooms . Children have become colonized by
technology through this change in play culture that sees children being cooped up in the house , playing in isolation .

Educational psychologist and author , Jane Healy , believes that the computer is far more powerful that the
television . Healy warns that the computer games are more insidious because they are more engaging . These interactive
games have the capacity to rivet attention , allowing the players to inflict violence instead of passively absorbing images
when watching television .

Even though computer games violence is not a real violence , it is nevertheless an intense simulation of conflict .
Children up to the age of seven cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality . When they see someone shot on
the screen , it is real for them , so they experience deep emotion and conflict . Parents therefore need to consider
carefully if that is something they want to encourage their children to do and experience on a regular basis with such a
high degree of engagement .