Task 4 for week 5

Is there a gaming addict in your home?
The Straits Times, Wednesday, January 17 2007

Game addiction in Singapore is getting worse. More and more young Singaporeans are addicted to online games and many of them depend on online games to make friends, instead of making friends in the real world. The main reason for the worsening of addiction is due to the online video games like World of Warcraft and Maplestory that are becoming more popular among the youngsters. Serious game addiction will lead to social, economic problems and even pose a threat to the games addicts' future.

Since many game addicts are depending on online games to get to know friends, they will have a tough time communicating with people and knowing friends. The game addicts will be living in a world of their own and it will be impossible to pull them out if nothing is done immediately.

The game addicts will also increase the burden of their families since bills such as the electrical and Internet services have to be paid. These money can be used to send their children to educational workshops or any seminars which can help to enhance the children learning. The futures of these game addicts are important and they may be our future leaders, therefore assistance has to be given to them as soon as possible.

"The family plays a critical role in our society.Do you agree?"

The basic role of a family is to provide food, shelter and protection for every members of the family. And also, I agree that the family plays a critical role in the society. This can be easily seen in Singapore that provides an excellent example to show the importance of the family.

It is known that education in Singapore is very important. In the past, anyone who holds a degree is highly regarded, as not many people are able to obtain a degree easily. However, times have changed, the competition level in the society is extremely high and having a degree is a must in order to survive in the future. This causes students in Singapore to come under immerse stress. The family, in this case, acts as a form of mental support for their children to keep them going on and give them precious advice on how to cope with stress.

The family is also a source of traditions, cultures and moral values. Parents take up the roles of instilling their children moral values such as integrity, courtesy and being humble etc. This is essential as this reflects our society and has great impact on the foreigners’ impressions of Singaporeans. Our economy will be directly affected if foreigners refuse to invest and do business with Singaporeans because they are afraid that we are not honest and may cheat on them.

Singapore is currently facing an ageing population due to the fact that the total fertility rate is under the replacement rate of 2.1. There will be many problems following the ageing population such as lack of investment s from other countries as the labour cost in Singapore is rising and more health facilities have to be built etc. That brings out the importance of families as they regulate sexual activities. There will be an indirect impact on the society and ultimately Singapore’s economy too. If the birth rates do not rise, there will be less investments, leading to less jobs and the competition level will rise. Therefore, families are important to prevent this from happening.

In conclusion, the importance of families cannot be undermined as they will have enormous impacts on the survival of Singapore.