Parents of 17-year-old games addict agree to let her quit school for a year.
School can wait, I'd rather play PC games.
WOULD you let your child take a year off school so she can play computer games?
One mother did, very reluctantly, after failing to dissuade her daughter.
Kelly Ong, 17, is so addicted to gaming that she missed one of her papers in last October's O-level exams.
And she admits she's likely to fail because she continued playing during the exam period.
She can spend more than 16 hours a day playing computer games.
She would start playing as soon as she reached home from school and go on till it was time to go to school again the next morning. And she would end up falling asleep in class.
Though it has got her into trouble with her teachers and parents, she won't stop playing.
She even failed to turn up for her O-level Science paper because she said she was sick from lack of sleep.
She had a big argument with her parents after she said she wanted to drop out of school for a year just to play.
"It's only for a year. Just let me play as much as I want to and I will go back to my studies after that," said Kelly.
Her goal is to claim a place in the top five in international gaming competitions. She took part in the Electronic Sports World Cup competition here and came in third in the national qualifiers category.
Said Kelly: "Initially, my parents objected to my idea. But I told them that there is no point forcing me to continue my studies when I just want to play games. I would just be wasting their time and money."
Eventually they gave in, after arguing about it for two months.
Said her mother, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Ong: "Of course I'm disappointed she wants to stop her studies for the time being. But she is obsessed with gaming and there is nothing I can do to stop her. She is clever and I hope to see her pursue her other interests, like cooking."
But Mrs Ong, 40, does not see the need to seek any professional help because 'computer gaming is not an illegal activity'.
She has two other children, aged 12 and 13, who are not into gaming.
Mrs Ong and husband, 42, help to run family businesses. They work six or seven days a week, and often return home only around 11pm.
Mrs Ong admits that their hectic work schedule is partly to blame for Kelly's obsession with gaming.
Also, they pampered her with computer games from young.
The family has three large TV sets in the living room of their HDB maisonette in Hougang, one hooked to an Xbox game console, and another to a PlayStation. Nearby is a desktop computer at which Kelly spends long hours playing.
The chatty girl recalled how she became addicted to playing CounterStrike two years ago.
"I started forming my own girls' team and joined competitions. I get the kick from defeating my opponents unexpectedly. Sometimes my heart skips a beat. I get up from my seat and throw punches in the air. That's how excited I can get," she said.
Kelly enjoys leadership, assigning roles and responsibilities to others in her team.
"Sometimes I think I can still hear the loading of guns in my mind even though I am not playing. I am constantly thinking of which weapons to use for my next attack," she said.
Her teachers spoke to her parents when she began doing poorly in school.
Said Mrs Ong: "I confiscated her keyboard, mouse and CPU many times. She ran away from home after that."
"I later found out she would go to play at gaming centres, and stay out late at those places. So I thought that I might as well return the items to her so that at least she stays home to play."
Said Kelly: "I know that I can't be gaming for my whole life and I must control (my urge to play), but not now. Let me play now and I will study later."
Whatever her O-level results will be, Kelly has made up her mind to postpone her studies till next year.
"Now, I just want to concentrate on my gaming and try to be among the top five in regional gaming competitions."
WOULD you let your child take a year off school so she can play computer games?
One mother did, very reluctantly, after failing to dissuade her daughter.
Kelly Ong, 17, is so addicted to gaming that she missed one of her papers in last October's O-level exams.
And she admits she's likely to fail because she continued playing during the exam period.
She can spend more than 16 hours a day playing computer games.
She would start playing as soon as she reached home from school and go on till it was time to go to school again the next morning. And she would end up falling asleep in class.
Though it has got her into trouble with her teachers and parents, she won't stop playing.
She even failed to turn up for her O-level Science paper because she said she was sick from lack of sleep.
She had a big argument with her parents after she said she wanted to drop out of school for a year just to play.
"It's only for a year. Just let me play as much as I want to and I will go back to my studies after that," said Kelly.
Her goal is to claim a place in the top five in international gaming competitions. She took part in the Electronic Sports World Cup competition here and came in third in the national qualifiers category.
Said Kelly: "Initially, my parents objected to my idea. But I told them that there is no point forcing me to continue my studies when I just want to play games. I would just be wasting their time and money."
Eventually they gave in, after arguing about it for two months.
Said her mother, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Ong: "Of course I'm disappointed she wants to stop her studies for the time being. But she is obsessed with gaming and there is nothing I can do to stop her. She is clever and I hope to see her pursue her other interests, like cooking."
But Mrs Ong, 40, does not see the need to seek any professional help because 'computer gaming is not an illegal activity'.
She has two other children, aged 12 and 13, who are not into gaming.
Mrs Ong and husband, 42, help to run family businesses. They work six or seven days a week, and often return home only around 11pm.
Mrs Ong admits that their hectic work schedule is partly to blame for Kelly's obsession with gaming.
Also, they pampered her with computer games from young.
The family has three large TV sets in the living room of their HDB maisonette in Hougang, one hooked to an Xbox game console, and another to a PlayStation. Nearby is a desktop computer at which Kelly spends long hours playing.
The chatty girl recalled how she became addicted to playing CounterStrike two years ago.
"I started forming my own girls' team and joined competitions. I get the kick from defeating my opponents unexpectedly. Sometimes my heart skips a beat. I get up from my seat and throw punches in the air. That's how excited I can get," she said.
Kelly enjoys leadership, assigning roles and responsibilities to others in her team.
"Sometimes I think I can still hear the loading of guns in my mind even though I am not playing. I am constantly thinking of which weapons to use for my next attack," she said.
Her teachers spoke to her parents when she began doing poorly in school.
Said Mrs Ong: "I confiscated her keyboard, mouse and CPU many times. She ran away from home after that."
"I later found out she would go to play at gaming centres, and stay out late at those places. So I thought that I might as well return the items to her so that at least she stays home to play."
Said Kelly: "I know that I can't be gaming for my whole life and I must control (my urge to play), but not now. Let me play now and I will study later."
Whatever her O-level results will be, Kelly has made up her mind to postpone her studies till next year.
"Now, I just want to concentrate on my gaming and try to be among the top five in regional gaming competitions."
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Discussion Topic(s)
1) What do u think about Kelly's decision to quit school for a year just to play PC games?
2) What do u think the parents could do to help their daughter kick the gaming addiction?
22 comments:
1) I think Kelly has made a very wrong decision and she'll will regret her actions soon or later.Its not that u can't play games but too much of it is very bad.
2)My brother will play for a long time too(but not as long as Kelly)I think Kelly's parents should force her to study(as there is no more choices),Allow her to only play for limited of time and let her see a consultant.....=(
1)Kelly is addict to the PC games. she will regret for quitting school 1 year just to play PC games.So what if you have the highest score? It is not that you will win a trophy.
2)I think Kelly parents should not let her play PC games for a while and force her to study.Or she will grown up as a useless person.
Actually if u take part in competitions for that game, and win, she might get a trophy
Sounds like fun! But realy regretful. Losing a year would be very lonely for her and desperate as she would forget some lessons and probaly would fail her exams.
I also think that her parents is too giving. They should ground her and trash her computer games. And no money given for three months. So she wont buy another.
1)I think Kelly is quite dumb in a sense that the time she had used on computer games are useless.
2)Kelly's parents should let kelly only play about 1 hour a day and slowly she will get use to it and stop playing for so long!
1)Kelly has made a wrong decision of skipping school for 1 year just for computer games. Like the saying goes, "Education is the most important". So what if you win the trophy in being top? Will that help you in future? The answer is : No. Playing computer games can be a form of leisure but not if you play for 16 hours a day. This causes addiction and will cause you to not be able to concentrate on your studies. As a result, she will have a very bad score in school and would not be able to find good jobs. I think that the cause of this computer games addiction is because her parents don't spend enough time talking to her, they don't spend time with her and as a result, she goes to playing computer games to kill time and as a result, this causes her addiction.
2) To stop her addiction, her parents should spend more time with her and not always go to work and come back late at night. I think she started playing computer games as she felt lonely and wanted to kill time. Due to her parents negligent, she became addicted to the computer. Now, they should let her see a consultant and spend as much time as possible with her. Locking her or grounding her is not a solution. She may become depressed and suicide. This will end up in a even worst situation.
She is quite dumb skiping school for an year just to play computer game.Maybe she can only become a cleaner for a job in the future.I bet she will regret.
I think that Kelly Chong will regret the decision she make.I hope she will know her mistake.She can play computer games for one hour a week and she must done her homework that her teacher given her.
2)If she is still thinking of playing computers games she can read some storybook that interest her most.xD
Hey song ze....its Kelly Ong not Chong.....
1) I think that Kelly made the wrong descision by quiting school to just to play computer games at home. I bet that she will sure regret it sooner or later.
2)For me playing computer games just mean noting to me. Whenever I get to play,I will always play the games at a controled time but I will always spend my time bloging. As for kelly, I think that her parents must force her to study as there is no other choice.Whenever she is free her parents must bring out of the house to keep her company such as brinning her out to shop for groceries and they must also spend more time with her.Well these are the only ways to keep Kelly hands of the computer.
1)Kelly will regret it some day, she will be so obsessed will not pay any attention to the teacher and will end up failing her exams
2)they could exchange the com for a dozen of books, or the x-box for some text books
i am song yang
heee? Sounds fun quitting school^^
But I dont think she will go back to school after 1year. She will just ask for another...probably
I think that kelly ong has made a wrong decision and she would take 3-5 years to regain her intelligence but if she continues playing it would take more than 5 years to do so.One day she would regret it and maybe (touch wood) commit suicide of guiltiness.Hope it does not happen.
I think Kelly has made a very "stupid" decision by quitting school for a year. I'm also quite sure that she'll will regret her actions in the future.Its not that games are not to be played but accept that we must not be addicted to it.
2)I know people who play for a long time(like my cousin:))Although not as long as Kelly of course~~.All her parent have to do is to confiscate her computer as well as reduce her allowence which makes sure that she will not be able to go to the arcade to play games.
1) I think Kelly had made a very big mistake... And she will surely regret it one day. She still can play the game.. Studies more important than play? I don't think so...
2)Autually I play computer for quite a long time also.. But of course, not as long as this Kelly Ong.-_-" Kelly should play after she had done her homework(Just like me).
I THINK KELLY IS RATHER DUMB AS TO QUIT SCHOOL FOR ONE YEAR JUST TO PLAY COMPUTER GAMES. I THINK SHE WOULD JUST REGRET IT IN THE END.
HER PARENTS SHOULD BRING HER OUT WITH THEM MORE TO KEEP HER AWAY FROM HER PC GAMES. THEY SHOULD BRING HER TO A CONSULTANT TOO...
(I WOULDN'T WANT TO QUIT SCHOOL JUST TO PLAY PC GAMES EVERYDAY.)TT
I think kelly has made a wrong decision because is she quit the school, she will not be going back to school for the next year and she will drag until she is about 20 plus and she will not be finding any work outside for her to do and just playing computer game...
If i am her mother, i will stop my work. I will put the password so that she can't go and play her game and lock her in the house so that she will not go out and play computer game.I will only allow her to play a limited of time.
she will regret it..for sure!
well quit school for 1 years is a bit too long isnt it?
1)I would say Games Can Wait,I'd Rather Study.The thing Kelly really made a totally wrong decision and in the future she will regret.I mean its like what you can achieve in the future playing computer games.You would not go to Universty.Her mother should have spent more time with her.She should give priority to her studies.
2)She should strike while the iron is hot.The reason why I say this is because when you are young you should study there is no point to study when you are older.Also,this addiction could lead to a very serious situation.She will become a shcizophranic person.While you are a shizophranic person,you would commit suicide.Becase there are cases that this happen.She should see a psychologist because this is a psychological problem.If this wwill go on this will become right.
1) I think kelly has made a wrong decision and she will regret her action sooner or later.I think she is too addicted to the computer.
2)My brother is also addicted to maple story , but after a few days of my father lecture,he continues with his studies.I think kelly's parents should bring her to see a consultant and spend more time with her.....
Dear all,
I am pleased to see active participation from 18 of u so far, especially Hannah. =D
What happened to the other 22 of u? ("?)
If u think it's alright for Kelly to stop school for a year to just play games, feel free to voice that out! But do tell us why u think it's alright. (",)
1)I think that Kelly is very foolish because she is just wasting everyone's time.
2)I think that the best way is to allow her to play once or twice a week.The best day is on Friday because on that day, usually there are CCAs and when she comes back, she has limited time to play. As for the time limit,her parents can always set one.
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