The Dangers of Gaming From a Gamers Perspective

Gaming is a wonderful past time whether you do it casually or competitively. However it does have its fair share of problems that come with it. I know, I know, you've heard it all before from your parents and friends. "Gaming is a waste of time, go do something productive." or "All you are doing is throwing your money out the window." They can get boring and annoying the more they repeat themselves. Parents and causals just don't seem to understand. That's why as a gamer myself, I'm going to tell you about how I feel about them in all.

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The Good
First off it's important to remember that spending time gaming isn't a bad thing. It's just like any other form of entertainment that you find nowadays, whether it be books or movies. Gaming helps you relax after a long day of stress and gives you time to just enjoy yourself. There is nothing more relaxing (in my opinion) than being able to explore new worlds from the comfort of your couch. You can do anything, and be anyone you want. There are unlimited possibilities and worlds to explore.

Playing certain kinds of games can actually be beneficial to you as well. There are studies that show how certain game types affect people. Those who play first person shooters tend to have a higher reaction time than most. Likewise, gamers who enjoy puzzles and thinking games tend to be more suited towards solving real life ones. They become more analytical in general. Video games even have become a way to train people for real world jobs. The military is currently using some war games to train real life troops for tactical situations. You can really see that gaming has unlimited potential for influencing and learning purposes.

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The Negative Affects
With all of the previous statements, I have to address serious issues of them. I myself was addicted to gaming from 5 years old till I turned 12. I was born and raised by parents who were gamers and practically had a controller in my hands the day I was conceived. As you can imagine this caused a lot of problems for my schoolwork and affects millions of students besides myself today. All I wanted to do was sit in front of the television and stare at it for hours. It was a huge problem and one that was very hard to correct.

I don't blame my parents for my problems, they yelled and even punished me for playing all those hours. The real problem came from my lack of self control. As much as I knew I should have stopped for the day, I couldn't stop. It was like a voice in my head kept telling me "5 more minutes" or "just until the next save point." If you are having these thoughts, then you are addicted yourself. But how did I get to this point? What dropped my self control so low?

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The Dangers Of Gaming
The reason I got to that point is because I gamed so much in the first place. I know it may sound stupid, but it's really how it works. Just like becoming an alcoholic, it's starts with just one drink. Then it becomes another, then another, until you become fully hooked and dependent upon it. I allowed myself to play for extended periods of time not being monitored. Slowly without realizing it I become dependent on them and clinged to my games. The more I played, the more I dug myself into a hole deeper and harder to climb out of.

Not only does it become a drug, but it also damages your eyesight, IQ, mental health, and physical health. The longer you stare at a screen, the more strain you put on your vision. Playing too much can also lead to "dumbing" down your brain and deteriorating your mental health. When you play so much you don't necessarily think In certain games. This can cause a drop in IQ and bring out more primal emotions. My little brother used to be addicted to Call of Duty. During that time we all noticed an extreme change in behavior that led to him becoming more physical, rough, and generally angry.

Finally and possibly the most dangerous harm from game is the lack of physical exercise. In a country where gaming is becoming more popular, and serving sizes are increasing this becomes more of a problem. We have a generation of younger kids who now would rather spend hours in front of a television instead of playing tag outside. This lack of exercise is extremely worrying and contributes to a huge factor of why our country is so overweight. I can not blame the children because I know they lack the self control to fix it, but I also can't blame parents because I know how hard it can be to turn off a child's game. Quite simply, they are addicted to gaming.

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How I Fixed My Addiction
This in my opinion is the only way that truly works. Going cold turkey is the most effective way to end addiction. Mine took approximately 1 year of no gaming or television. You need to be strong if you are going to enforce this on yourself. I'd recommend having someone supervise you if you are having a hard time. Hand over your console and have them hide it from you. It might seem extreme to some and I agree. However if you know you have a problem, I always recommend 6 months at minimum. This gives your brain enough time to become independent again and learn to control it's chemical balances.

Doing this will also give you so much time to do other things in your day. You might be surprised to find out how much time gaming takes away from your day. I learned to love books during that time, where as before I hated them. By the end of it I was reading books 3 grades above my level. I remember reading the 5th Harry Potter book and finishing it on the day it released. After I finally got my games back, I could no longer spend 7 hours a day staring at a screen. It just didn't interest me the same way.

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Conclusion
Games are a fun past time, but they can quickly take over your life if you let them. It's up to you to stop that from happening. Don't let yourself get addicted to video games by setting a time limit. Play for only 2 hours a day, and if possible try to read just as much. Like any pleasure you should indulge it in healthy amounts. Stay healthy and safe, Sora out.

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