Once considered a stigma of unproductivity, video game culture has spilled over to the mainstream audiences in the past decade or so. Events like E-Sports have been televised and award prizes that rival traditional sports. Many have taken to streaming video content and have received sponsors that allow some to make a career out of it. Despite causing more controversies than many other hobbies, its growing popularity cannot be overlooked: here is what a video game lifestyle entails, along with its benefits and risks.
Benefits of Playing Video Games
Distraction
Much like any other hobby, video games meet many psychological needs in recreational activities. One of the main factors being distraction. When going through work, whether it's in a job or school, video games serve as a platform that helps players unwind.
From role-playing games to first-person shooters, video games offer a multitude of genres that allow consumers to find something that suits their preferences more specifically - hence its diverse range of members in the community. Single-player campaign games are better suited for users who appreciate immersive narrations, while multiplayer games are better for competitive players who are looking to hone their skills in a particular game.
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Achievement
This segways into the sense of achievement that video games provide. Many video games require some level of skills, involving keen hand-eye coordination, muscle memory, and fast reactions. These are traits that may sound familiar - they apply to traditional sports as well. Although to a far lesser physical degree, these skills give players a clear indication of improvement and that level of gratification is one of the reasons why players have committed years to video games.
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Interaction
Interaction is also another large factor for video game’s rise to popularity. As an entertainment system, video games have the same ability of storytelling as a movie or book. The difference is that using the character and making decisions based on the options provided by the narrative gives a certain level of immersion that has rarely been seen.
Granted, books that incentivize choices via dice rolls have been a thing for a while, but a video game adds more customization and control over your avatar and the world around you. From talking to NPCs to using tools that you want to use, it’s easy to see why many have gravitated towards this format of storytelling.
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Teamwork & Communication
This won’t apply to all games, but tons of online games require teamwork or trading of some kind; which makes gaming a portal to meet all sorts of people. It is a good way to practice communication skills with like-minded individuals, without worrying about physical meetups if concerned about conversing with strangers. Also, games normally tend to provide safety options such as vulgarity censorship and blocking to ensure that each player has a right to choose the kinds of people they want to play with.
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The Risks Of Playing Video Games
Lack Of Human Interaction
People have different levels of interest in gaming; some are mere casuals who dabble in a mind-numbing game for about 15 minutes again, while at the other end of the spectrum, there are many youths and adults who commit between 6 to 12 hours a day on average. One of the first drawbacks that many studies have pointed towards immediately is the deprivation of real-life interactions.
Despite vocal communities and approachable online chat platforms that incentivize voice and text chats like Discord, the hobby lacks any real-world interactions, with more titles going towards online gameplay more aggressively, while local multiplayer games and split-screen features are slowly being phased out.
Because of this, many have built a network of online friends, which does satisfy social needs to a certain extent, but also encourages players who are too involved to go out of their way to be physically alone with their gaming devices.
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Escaping Reality
Escapism is a double-edged sword, serving as both a positive avenue of distraction to complete aversion from existing problems in the real world. Of course, a little bit of distraction once in a while is good to reset the mind and tackle ongoing situations with a fresh perspective, while excess becomes the problem when escaping for too long.
Studies have shown that this level of isolation often coincides with symptoms of anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and aggression. The avoidance of confrontation to real-time setbacks can cause a strain on the player’s priorities and focus in the long run. In time, this overexposure to isolation becomes an addiction, which presents the risk of prolonging existing psychological issues indefinitely.
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Inactivity
Video games may do wonders for the mind but do absolutely nothing for the body. Sitting idle in front of a desk for hours has been a stigma for pure posture in general, being relevant to more than just gaming. Additionally, being physically inactive for a long period of time and being careless with the diet may result in being overweight gradually. Without exercise,
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it will be difficult to get the appropriate amount of dopamine and adrenaline running if unhealthy means such as energy drinks, coffee, and other artificial content serve as a replacement. This point can be applied to more than just gaming, but if players partake in desk-bound jobs, video games tend to prolong unhealthy amounts of inactivity.
Aggression
On the flip side of seeing the benefit of teamwork and communication, competitive online gaming also tends to bring out the worst in people. From forums to in-game messages, it is difficult to escape toxicity and negativity. Abusive language and vulgar comments are easily made available through text exposure at the very least. If players were to avoid this sort of behavior, a general mute would be the safest option, but it will ban communication in its entirety which can result in more problems along the way.
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How to Play Video Games In Moderation
Ultimately, playing video games is all about having fun, and like anything else - too much of it can come with consequences. If you are excited to hop into the newest titles from your favorite franchises but are afraid of “going in too deep”, here is how you can learn how to pace yourself.
The first step is to reflect on what is outstanding in real life before turning your console on. Whether it replies you have yet to give to friends and family, outstanding tasks at work or even fitness routines you’ve committed to - creating a checklist of tasks before allocating your time to game is a healthy start to ensure that the hobby is approached for enjoyment and recreation, rather than escapism.
Once the outstanding tasks have been tackled, the next stage is to identify your goals and gauge the amount of time required to accomplish them. It could be as simple as staying fit, which could require a couple of hours dedicated; or something that takes more time like building relationships with family and friends that you have not caught up with within a while.
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Once goals are set outside of the gaming periphery, the time slot for gaming becomes more purposeful and intentional, rather than a filler for inactive portions during your day. Goals also give players something to look forward to when going offline.
Gaming was first in its infancy in the 80s but has exploded into relevance for the average person as technology has progressed. With upgraded consoles, immersion, quality and network have all spiked, but restraint is key if players want to maximize the value of self, in and out of the gaming realm.
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