Debate time: Is video gaming health?

[Legacy]

Ok, this is not so much about whether or not video gaming is good for your physical health, but rather for social health. I know people who are more happy to play video games all day, then to go out to a party or just plain go out with friends. To me video gaming seems like a unhealthy obsession. What do you think?

*By the way, please respect others opinions. Exchanging words and ideas do not need to be hostile, so do not attack people for having opinions. Just debate it lol*

 

[corocoro]

It's the same as with most things: in moderation it is healthy (they can decrease stress, increase acuteness, endorphins are released while gaming (and those have a very positive effect on your health), games can be used for learning (though nearly no one does)), etc), but once you overdo things and become obsessive, it starts being unhealthy.
So, in small doses it makes you more social (or at least puts you in a better mood, which is good for socializing) and in too large doses - well, it takes you out of society completely, which isn't always a bad thing. ;)

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

Hmm there are differing levels of gaming and if they can deal with school, friends, gaming, and whatever else life throws at them then i think theyre fine :/ My parents were very anti gaming and still are but i ignore them for the most part now... Anyhow them being so against gaming made it a precious luxury so whenever i could i would get quite crazy with gaming ignoring whatever else which probably made it unhealthy for me. Now that i can game all day i dont because its not nearly as precious a commodity as it used to be (and i discovered the joy of anime). I guess i would say people should game in moderation. Unless they strike it rich, gaming really shouldnt be too high on the priority list. As for how gaming effects social health i would say that depends who you hang out with. If your friends are gamers too then it might just create stronger bonds with little negative effects. If you spend all you time gaming and have little to no social life then thats a problem... or so society which is built up by all those charismatic guys who know tons of people and have influence would say. I say its mostly bs unless youre trying to be like them. Its about a person's personality and preference. Some people are fine with a small group of friends and some are fine with more. I suppose having no one to rely on whatsoever is a problem but if someone says that theyre fine with it then who am i to say otherwise. Their circumstances may actually allow them to be fine without.

 

[orisa]

coro pretty much said what I wanted to say.

Gaming is same as smoking or drinking; you know it's not healthy but you do it for fun. You do it because it relieves you of your stress. But like all good things in this world, too much of it can have negative effects. Even as a learning tool--you use it too much to learn and you get more and more narrow minded in your thought process. Want to learn more? Read a book. Talk to people. Expand your views.

Certain someone that I will not mention (although people will still know who I'm talking about) who is addicted to eroge thinks real life is just like what he sees on screen--what's wrong with this picture? Though luckily for him it's apparently actually helping him. Other people wouldn't be so lucky.

 

[Legacy]

Great responses so far :) Debates really bring more out of people then a few words in a post ^^

On topic:

I agree with you guys, but to be devils advocate you can say that games are designed to played without moderation. The developers want you to be addicted and play as much as you can because then the likely hood of you buying their other merchandise is higher. Is it right for these developers and publishers to do this? Is it just good business, but where you do cross the line with harming society for economic gains? Many are obviously not able to control themselves and moderate their playing, but who then should help them? Obesity is on the rise!

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

I thought this wasnt about physical health :p Hmm wii fit probably doesnt actually help much in this matter. Physical health is more of the gamer's responsibility and whoever cares about him/her should also go bother him/her if theyre not being healthy. It doesnt actually take that long to stay fit to some extent... Obesity is not only caused by gaming although gaming may contribute to it. On a side note wouldnt addictive games be more fun although i suppose addictive and fun are different matters.

 

[Will98]

Video games, (in my opinion) are neutral. You decide wether or not they are beneficial or harmful.

As Corocoro has posted above, video games can be very good for you. I also know that it is proven that video games promote better hand-eye coordination, which is a very big pay off for people studying to be doctors. Or something in the medical field...

Video games, just like being good, can be very bad. Playing games for too many hours a week, (I'm a bad example, so I shouldn't be saying this) can be fairly hurtful to someone in the long run.
Decreased vision, carpal syndrome, muscle degeneration, etc.

 

[orisa]

I agree with you guys, but to be devils advocate you can say that games are designed to played without moderation. The developers want you to be addicted and play as much as you can because then the likely hood of you buying their other merchandise is higher. Is it right for these developers and publishers to do this? Is it just good business, but where you do cross the line with harming society for economic gains? Many are obviously not able to control themselves and moderate their playing, but who then should help them? Obesity is on the rise!

Nobody should and can help them...only they can control their addiction. In this sense developers are in no way responsible for the rising obesity or any other problems related to obsessive gaming. They do not force their gamers to play non stop, in fact they advise you to take breaks inbetween hours. So in a legal sense they are squeaky clean and are in good business standings.

Not being able to control their addiction is a silly excuse. Of course they can control their addiction, it's their body. It's a convenient excuse and escape route to NOT put a stop to their addiction. Get another hobby. Ask someone else to punch you in the face for touching your addiction...there are many ways to "control" yourself but no, people just don't want to and keep looking for excuses. They only have themselves to blame on for their addiction problems, nobody else. They lack discipline.

I also know that it is proven that video games promote better hand-eye coordination, which is a very big pay off for people studying to be doctors. Or something in the medical field...

You can train your hand-eye coordination in sports. Or even some board games. There's no guarantee that you'd be playing games just to train your hands and eyes, and getting addicted while studying to be someone important like a doctor kinda defeats the purpose of training their senses to achieve their professions, I'd say. It's a double edged sword.

 

[kactaplb]

For me, games aren't intrinsically bad for your health, but this doesn't mean they are good for you either. Any value gained from gaming can be done in the real life counterpart with better benefits. Even though gaming is a fairly new phenomenon, there's a reason why all the rich, elite, and the truly respected don't play. Games can only used as a stepping stone and nothing more.

but of course it all depends on the kind of life you wish to lead. to each his own.

 

[Lavo]

For me games led me to meed people that share similar interests, and eventually, anime/music. I was somewhat driven/drawn to them early on as a child due to a lack of many "real life" friends. Are they bad for my social health? Probably. But that doesn't mean too much when I don't have much of a social life to begin with.

 

[alexsdu]

I remember read some article, saying that a survey had shown that drivers who are also gamers tend to be more alert while driving, compared to those who are not gamers(not that mean that non-gamers are not alert).
When I read that, I'm guessing they refer more toward the FPS gamers, considering their gaming environments that usually hostile. One have to be alert of their surrounding in order to survived in FPS game, especially when they playing online against other people, who unlike AI, tend to be more unpredicted and creative.

As for the social health, based on my experience, my friends and I used to hangout at cyber cafe to play our games together. Afterward, we would discuss on the gaming experiences we had while at the cyber cafe. We also make friends with other players there, eventhou we don't know each other at all, but once in the cyberworld(game) that 'band or brothers' relation created. After games, everybody would compliment each others on how well they play.

Well, my parents sure not worry much about me when I going out with my friends, coz they know that I wouldn't be going out drinking at some bar and get wasted and probably involve in accident while DUI, but instead I just going to play games.

I knew many people from around the world from gaming. Joined my 1st gaming clan, the eGO (Edge Gamers Organization) back in the end of 2008, when I bought Day of Defeats: Source. I joined one of eGO's DOD:S houses(subclan), the Foreign Legion. Wonderful fellow in the clan, just like how I feel right now in AS. Sadly, the happiness didn't last long. Due to some disagreement with eGO's head leaders, the leaders of Foreign Legion left eGO and form their own clan, the Foreign Alliance. I somehow decided to stay in Foreign Legion and eGO. Unfortunately, that feel that you're at home no longer there. With most of the familiar faces(avatars) not around, it felt like I was living in my old house, except now I have strangers living with me. Everybody seem to know each other more and I felt like a stranger instead. So a few months later, I left eGO and join the Foreign Alliance. It felt as if I'm back home, with all my family. But, as the old saying said, life goes on, and everybody moved on with their life. Now, I'm just a Ronin, wondering the gaming servers looking for some good fights. I do visit eGO's servers from time to time, playing there coz their server a high ping players(like me)-friendly. They don't auto kick you out just b'coz your ping is around 300-500 ping. Plus, I get see some of my old friends there.

PS - If any of you have Steam account and playing Day of Defeat: Source, Call of Duty 4 or Modern Warfare 3, look for me. My callsign is Alex SDU [FL] (FL stand for Freelancer). Add me.

 

[WsE]

Everything is unhealthy in the wrong amounts. This also differs from person to person. I have been a gamer the past 13 years and I do not consider myself sociably crippled or handicapped when I'm around other people. Some people need to be around others 24/7 (no harm intended) in order to function properly, while others do not need to engage in any kind of social activity besides what's social on a computer. All of this is a matter of genes and upbringing, having a small or big family and such. I for one have taken after my mother, meaning I barely socialize at all and prefer to stay at home with my computer. This is not an addiction and I will never consider it such. It is a hobby I hold very dearly and it's a part of me that's here to stay till I die. I work in order to live.(the more money I earn the more i can use on my hobby, hardware, games etc.)

As for friends I have a few I hold very dear to me. Sometimes I don't see them for several months simply because there's no need to and we keep in touch through cellphone or internet. Nerds like me who doesn't need to socialize often. That doesn't mean we don't hang out though. One of the best experiences I have is going to one of my friend's place and have a nerd weekend. We'll play some co-op game on his 63" TV on PS3 while we order pizza and milkshakes and makes a day and night out of it. It can seriously be good times.

TL;DR: no it's not unhealthy unless you make it so.

 

[Legacy]

Me again!

Of course, it's not healthy if you cannot control yourself and you let it become an addiction. Which, by the way, I think it is for some people (speaking generally). Hobbies are great and for many, video games are such. Playing video games tends to deprive people of much needed social interaction, yes you can talk with friends and play with them, but that isn't really substantively good enough. For maintaining friendships that's fine, but what about when you have to get a job? Unless you work at home, you will need to interact and build relationship in person with people. Something I don't feel video games can provide that, if relied solely upon for social interaction.

To me there is a big line between hobby and an addiction. A hobby, to me, is something that you do on your free time, but it isn't sometime you necessarily always do. An addiction is where people's lives are impacted, whether it be relationship or a job.

My point is, video games are nice in moderation. However, too often people use them as an excuse to not go out and find other ways to entertain themselves. Therefore, I sometimes call them an addiction, when they start to be detrimental to a person's life. As in their grades drop or social interactions reduce greatly.

Anyway, I don't want to offend anyone here with my point of view. I play video game like everyone else, but I try to find other ways to entertain myself that include my friends, this is a personal choice. I in no way, am saying my opinion is correct, but I do see it this way and I live my life this way. People will have other ways to live their life and I am not in anyway trying to tell them it is wrong or they should stop. I also know there is more to this and that everyone is different and has different views on how to live their life. I am not here to tell you otherwise

 

[alexsdu]

To me there is a big line between hobby and an addiction. A hobby, to me, is something that you do on your free time, but it isn't sometime you necessarily always do. An addiction is where people's lives are impacted, whether it be relationship or a job.

My point is, video games are nice in moderation. However, too often people use them as an excuse to not go out and find other ways to entertain themselves. Therefore, I sometimes call them an addiction, when they start to be detrimental to a person's life. As in their grades drop or social interactions reduce greatly.

Sometime, it is the money factor. And since video gaming is much cheaper way to entertain yourself, people tend to stick to it. Like me for example, if I don't have to worry much about money, I would have going out paintballing or airsofting on every weekend, if possible, but paintball are an expensive game(at least at my place) and airsoft...well let's just say that if the Malaysian authority knew I have airsoft gun(s), y'all probably wouldn't be hearing anything from me for a few years.
My point is, coz of this factor, I tend to spend more time in front of my PC.

 

[Legacy]

Sometime, it is the money factor. And since video gaming is much cheaper way to entertain yourself, people tend to stick to it. Like me for example, if I don't have to worry much about money, I would have going out paintballing or airsofting on every weekend, if possible, but paintball are an expensive game(at least at my place) and airsoft...well let's just say that if the Malaysian authority knew I have airsoft gun(s), y'all probably wouldn't be hearing anything from me for a few years.
My point is, coz of this factor, I tend to spend more time in front of my PC.

Understandably so, you are just doing what you can. Everyone has the right to do what makes them. Isn't that the point of life. lol xD

 

[Nazrirun]

if me i release my strees with playing any game..

 

[Snowkitteh]

My opinion is the same as the others above. Nothing is really too good for you when you do too much of it, gaming is no exception. Moderate amounts of gaming does help you to relieve stress and have fun. Too much of it can affect you negatively. You just have to be more discipline and know your limits to keep gaming from becoming an addiction.

Playing video games tends to deprive people of much needed social interaction, yes you can talk with friends and play with them, but that isn't really substantively good enough. For maintaining friendships that's fine, but what about when you have to get a job?on how to live their life. I am not here to tell you otherwise[/B]

It could be an effect of video games that causes people to have a hard time interacting with others, but there are some people who are naturally shy. I think it depends on the person, since some people are just better at communicating than others. Some people are more listeners than the speaking type, but I guess this all depends on the personality of the individuals. Either way, everyone does have to get to the stage where can be comfortable when communicating with others and not use video games as an excuse for what they cannot accomplish.

 

[Noiru]

Too much of anything is bad for you. Gaming is just another hobby and just like any other hobby devoting too much to it is bad for you. I would argue however that video gaming can be less harmful than hobbies you do on your own since you do have the ability to play with other people. A shared common interest can also help you make new friends and acquaintances. In the end it's really up to you to make it healthy for yourself.

 

[helloworld]

Yes, very good for my health. Staying inside all the time - getting no flu.

 

[Legacy]

Does anyone find that with video games they tend to have poor time management?

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

You mean how people forget the time when theyre playing? That only really effects you if youre currently playing a game

 

[Rakutenka]

Well, I'd say it's rather educating if done correctly ! *LOL
I learned english playing my favourite video-games in english language.
I'm doing that with spanish now xD and so on...
Besides, playing video games supports our creativity xD° *LOL
think about all the riddles u had to solve during your missions or whatever~
^.< other aspects u obtain while playin' video games would be +++++ accuracy, patience, sense of achievement ♥, and learning how
to survive GAME OVERs ♥

 

[HatoriTakaya]

Fairly depending what your intention is with the video game. Some people like to entertain their spare time on it. While others for learning purposes. Moderation is good to everything in life, but at the same time it can be a good entertain yourself with every-so-often.

 

[japespszx]

Sad to say but... I think this is what ruined my social life. Well, maybe because I had too much of it. :P

IMO, games aren't really bad for your health IF played in moderation. If you play too much though and prioritize it over real-life stuff like friends, then you should really lessen your gametime and go out and experience the world (lol, I should be saying that to myself xD). To be honest, I suck so much at real-life conversations that I sometimes think I'm autistic in a way because of my crappy social skills (I really hope not though as I have not went to a doctor about this). I mean, I go out and meet some acquaintances and I don't know what to say to them :'( . It's like my thoughts are all cluttered and this MIGHT have been the cause of too much video games too.

On the other hand though, they can teach you a LOT, and I MEAN A LOT of new vocabulary. They helped me improve my English skills (but this may be mostly because of school lessons). So as some of you said, it is a double-edged sword; it has its pros and cons.

~END OF RANT

 

[Callidus]

I think it's a matter of personal choice just like everything else
I enjoy gaming and at one point I was addicted to it but I grew out of it
But it can reach unhealthy levels of addiction
But I find that you can addicted to pretty much anything
I was addicted to reading books at one point I don't mean just fiction I was even reading the entire dictionary when I didn't get anything else