Are video games BAD or GOOD for you?

[Slacker22]

Im writing a paper on this subject, and i was wanting some more input on this subject of: Are video games good for you or bad for you? in many ways, such as emotional and physical, ect. So if you would tell me what you think that would be awesome.

[Utakatagaming]

Yes, if you can keep it under control that is! also if english isn't your strong part you'll learn alot from video games aswell!

[Kalyyn]

Pretty good for my sanity. After a stressful day at work, it really helps me chill when I can go home and burn people to death on Far Cry.

Actually, that's a lie. I hate the shitty flamethrower on Far Cry. I mostly stick to my MS16 and my .44 Revolver, which I've named Freedom and Liberty, respectively.

My knife is Democracy.

[maxilian]

Video Games are as many other things, they are good until you abuse them, i mean, When you play Video Games you get rid of a lot of stress, also, depending the game, it helps you develope your mental response to things, so in general it depends, if you have control over it, if you know how to divide your time in:

-Games
-Friends &/or Family
-Study
-Work
-Any type of exercise (maybe a sport or just time to go to the gym or work out at home)

Then you're Oks

[Shinzai]

Both are applicable. All things can be good or bad, depending on moderation and too many differentials to say matter of factly one or the other.

[Bardarian]

When I come home, I have to cook dinner, clean dishes, doing more work, and balancing everything against my relationship with my wife.
Video games are a great way to trigger a dopamine reward response, and is a much healthier alternative to drugs.
Between video games for +dopamine and a beer for -gaba, I can get 8 hours of restful sleep.

People say things like, I can't get through my day without my morning coffee. That's me with video games... Except it's for sleep. lol.

[maxilian]

Yes, if you can keep it under control that is! also if english isn't your strong part you'll learn alot from video games aswell!

That's totally true, it helps a lot when you play a game in another language, also many games (most of the time MMOs) help you understand or learn more about people (culture, habits, etc...)

[Venziir]

Depends on the game really - Is say Age of Empires good for me? Yes. Is Fear 3 a good game for me? Nooooo.

On a serious note; It's all about moderation really.

[Katchii]

There have been several studies done that would be better suited to reference in a paper than an online forum.

Two of which I can think off the top of my head:
1) Studied the difference between a "gamer" and a "non-gamer" in relation to their decision making skill and speed and showed that the "gamer" was better at both. This was due to the nature of video games and how they force people to make quick decisions to achieve their goal, which also leads to more effectove/ efficient problem solving skills.
2) A video game was developed to help emotionally distressed individuals, specifically those suffering from clinical depression and other socially crippling conditions, to help them cope with their condition It also taught them about their condition and acted as a guide to pull them through the tough times.

Both of these studies were linked on ign.com but I'm sure that you could simply do a web search and find them.

Good luck on your paper.

[Sj]

On a serious note; It's all about moderation really.

I think this really sums up the question. There are benefits to playing, such as improving problem-solving skills, eye-hand coordination, cognitive functions, etc. But there are also physical and psychological downsides to playing too much. The physical can include vision/eye impairment/loss/fatigue, weight gain, circulation issues, carpal-tunnel, and metabolic changes. The psychological effects really depend on any preexisting conditions or predispositions and can trigger regardless of playing "normal" amounts or "too much," both of which are dependent on the person playing.

I actually did a thesis on this back in college for psych, and it was pretty interesting. Someone basically did the same thing except with TV/movies, and the outcome was basically the same; the main difference was video games seem to be more addictive to more people.

---------- Post added 2013-04-03 at 11:45 AM ----------

There have been several studies done that would be better suited to reference in a paper than an online forum.

An online gaming forum is a good place to grab an interview or testimonial.

[Feanor306]

NOTHING is inherently good or bad, it is your past experience that determines where in the good/bad scale the object/event/person/idea in question lies.

[evokanu]

They are good for you as long as you don't become addicted, taking things with moderation would be a good way to say this.

[peggleftw]

for a lot of people its just an escape, after work/school anything else stressful, its an escape for most people.

also, a lot of people complain about people playing "mindless" video games and its bad for them, but tell me, is it worse playing a game for 3 hours, talking to people and having fun, or sitting infront of the TV for 3 hours?

[ranku]

it can go either way, all depending on the person and the level at which they participate (the main bad ones being those that obsess over them) there is a plethora of important life skills that can be learned from video games.

heck some schools are using mincraft as a teaching tool.

[vizzle]

This'll help, everything is sourced: http://www.cracked.com/article/104_6...aving-mankind/

[Bardarian]

heck some schools are using mincraft as a teaching tool.

This.

I learned more about leadership and managing people in half a year of raid leading than the rest of my life combined.
Raid leading is 100% about leadership. There are no wages, bonuses, or anything to keep a worker in line. If you piss them off, they can just go to a different guild. You have to make them want to listen to you.

Got to keep that mandate of heaven.

[Alceus]

Good as a form of relieve when I come from school or gym, or it's a rainy day, or just a tad depressed (which rarely happens).

Bad, I can spend hours and mess up my routines.

[Flaks]

As much as I enjoy video games, I'd chalk it up to a "bad hobby" mostly because it isn't and inherently CAN'T be productive in anyway. There's a lot of productive hobbies out there. There's also a lot of unproductive ones but those are bad too.

[Divine]

Bad, Playing 12-36 hrs usually and coz of playing im unemployed now <.<
it can be a stress relief if you keep it in under few hours :P

[Bardarian]

As much as I enjoy video games, I'd chalk it up to a "bad hobby" mostly because it isn't and inherently CAN'T be productive in anyway. There's a lot of productive hobbies out there. There's also a lot of unproductive ones but those are bad too.

But who says we need to be productive 100% of the time? What is productive anyways?
What if I find relaxation a productive use of my time?