The medical benefits of video games.

reply to post by Thecakeisalie


I forgot to mention that gaming can also have a positive effect on hand eye coordination, and that could be applied to many occupations such as surgeons or pilots.

benrl

VoidHawk

benrl
Because violence appeals to humanity on a deep primal level, it is not there BECAUSE of the video game, the video game is there because of it.

Hmmm, I suspect these games feed - and therefore - encourage that.
So what might happen if we didn't create war games? Might we learn to be less violent?

SO that old argument,

Its Arnold or Marilyn Manson fault our kids are F-ed up...

I thought we dropped that nonsense post columbine.

Hey! Dont get me wrong, I've spent many happy years playing these games! The original Doom - All the Quakes - Half lifes - Far Cry's etc etc etc!
But! The games these days are based on real war scenarios, and surely must desensitise the young to the horrors of war?
I'd like to see a REAL study done on the numbers of newly enlisted, like how many of them played these games v those that didn't. That might give us a real answer.

my sons temper also gets bad the more he plays, he gets angry and snappy, it also does this to me. every aspect of games is mainly smashing or killing (ps3), it teaches disregard for other people, my daughter doesnt suffer like my son, she gets bored or tired of it eventually, but my son has a never ending hunger and wont put it down until he is made to. I am guilty of letting my children play games that they shouldnt, and at times because of being extremely busy have left them to it for long periods which probably hasnt helped. my girl is 9 and my son is eleven and love shooting zombies. consoles have helped my son to be more sociable rather than his laptop but my daughter has not had any troubles that we have to police, its all down to the individual. a friend of ours, a carpet fitter cut the ligaments in his thumb with a stanley knife and had to have an operation to repair, playstation helped his thumb recover in record time, ps3 thumb physio, it has its ups and downs, for older generations, we have established a life and other interests but for most children it is all consuming, their social skills diminish and their focus is highjacked.

reply to post by intrptr


Everything is an opiate of distraction now days.

From TV, to Movies, To the Web and Video games.

Once you recognize it as such, feel free to partake of what you will with that Knowledge.

Don't act like any one form is worse than another, Id argue the TV is far worst than Games, as least Games have an active portion and engage more areas of the brain.

Being the worlds worst parent, I have recently allowed my son to have Grand theft Auto 5!

"WTF?!" I hear you cry!

Well, it all started about a week and a half ago....we were talking about the Malaysian plane going missing, during the conversation I posed a question I didn't think he would know the answer to (it was meant to be a mummy knows all moment), to my surprise, he actually knew the answer, I can't remember waht it was I said, however whan I asked how he knew the answer, he said....

"Because I watched a Youtube Vid on Grand Theft Auto 5."

For me it was an eye opener, so i agreed to allow him to have the game, for two reasons.

1) Great tool to control behaviours I don't wish to see my son exhibit, by banning him from his Xbox (This mortifies him)
2) It actually has some educational value.

He's a pretty smart kid for his age and I didn't take this decision lightly, I guess you could say the genie was already out of the bottle, by way of wayching Youtube anyway, plus I won't be the only parent who allows their kid to play this game, as he begins Secondary school in September, chances are he would visit friends and play this game anyway.

At least this way, I have laid down the law, by way of how I wish him to view the game (riot act has been read with regard to criminality), additionally the game gives him opportunity to vent any pent up aggression.

Ironically all my son wants to do is free roam, steal a buggatti and spraypaint it hot pink!

What am I raising ?!

Fortunately his other favourite game is Minecraft, being in touch with my playful side, I enjoy gaming too, therefore I often play with him.

Flame on!

reply to post by Thecakeisalie


As an avid gamer I totally agree.

However, the downsides that I will list is that VIDEO GAMES ARE ADDICTIVE!

When I have cleaning to do, coursework etc I can see my xbox sitting there, tempting me, saying to me "No iRoyalty, don't do the dishes, you still have to find your dad on fallout 3... how can you go on knowing your digital father is missing?!"... Well maybe it doesn't actually say that, we have a non-verbal relationship until I get annoyed with it!

Anyway, it shows similar patterns, even withdrawal symptoms, I believe there are even WOW rehab clinics in the US.

The other negative point is that it is a strong stimuli, when you get used to that kind of stimuli other things (like reading and enjoying the outdoors) become not as interesting. I believe that video games and even television for anyone under 3 years old can cause them to become disinterested in other parts of daily life.

My step father's grandchildren were practically raised by the iPad, now they get stressed out at parks, don't enjoy days out, no matter how much fun stuff like tractor rides and stuff there are and are highly strung at all times.

There are downsides to video games and I think parents need to limit children's time on them, they also need to use it as a reward for doing something like reading or homework, so it's no longer the distraction or the thing to keep them quiet but the goal.

Compulsive video gaming is a modern-day psychological disorder that experts tell WebMD is becoming more and more popular.
www.webmd.com...[/ url]

Emerging research suggests individual motives often contribute to unhealthy game play with the biggest risk factor occurring when individuals play games to escape from daily life.

University of Missouri investigators determined escapism, social interaction and rewards fuel problematic video-game use among “very casual” to “hardcore” adult gamers.
[url=http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/09/24/risk-factors-for-adult-video-game-addiction/59855.html]http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/09/24/risk-facto rs-for-adult-video-game-addiction/59855.html

Top 10 Cases of Extreme Game Addiction
[url=http://listverse.com/2010/11/07/top-10-cases-of-extreme-game-addiction/]http://listverse.com/2010/11/07/top-10-cases-of-extreme-game-addiction/[/ url]

I have seen first-hand what video gaming can do to someone's life. More than one person. It gets to the point they won't get up to shower, get fresh air, think about a job, etc, their whole life is wrapped up in their game. 2 of my ex-wife's loser relatives were allowed to stay with us at different times because they were "homeless". Don't get me started that video gaming is actually Good for you....just like people say marijuana is good for you...until it's all you do is smoke pot and veg out...then it's not so good. Anything can be abused and I think online video gaming, especially mmos are some of the biggest culprits in making this an "entitlement generation". The food stamps keep flowing and supplies the Doritos and energy drinks for the marathon gaming sessions while other people are out working to pay for it.

I was a gamer for many years but i stopped when i realized how much of my life and money i wasted on being alone at home with my addiction, though with a connection to cyber friends.

I have no count of how many of my real life friends lost thier job or girlfriend/marriage cause they got addicted to gaming, but it's in the 10 to 20 range.

I have seen Kinnect setups on my "loose jobs" in mentally handicapped homes and nursery homes just gathering dust cause it diden't catch interest of the people living there, just the staff who think it's a GOOD idea.

There are upsides to gaming but they are few, it's pretty much just intertainment and in many cases a wast of time and life cause you get addicted and people tend to like playing the generic games like COD and MoBas.

I think that the downside is clearly outweighing the upsides, the worst is the addiction, and the hunt for that useless ranking.

I still like games though but now i watch instead of play, using Twitch. I enjoy that much more than playing.

There are though games i still would play but they are very rare as i see gaming has become more of a money machine than a intertainment provider and games sadly has become "a thing you complete in a few hours with no replayability".

reply to post by benrl

Everything is an opiate of distraction now days.

Not reality. As boring as that sounds, as mundane, as passé.

Besides here and the occasional TV nature or science show, I mean. Most of my addiction phase elements are in my past now. Somehow I was spared the usual ending…

Jails, institutions, and death.

But I get you. Some day dream or sleep to escape their own selves. Then theres this holier than thou crowd that is as addicted to legal things that think they aren't. Or justify it the way all addicted people do. Its legal, everyone does it, I don't do it that much, I can quit any time, that guy down the street has been doing it for years and he doesn't have any problems. And of course, its beneficial.

Repeating my disclaimer: Kudos to all those people that aren't addicted to anything. They are marvels in and of themselves. If we could only refine and bottle that anti venom…

I think it's easy to forget that there is no one single attribute that applies to everyone. Media likes to take the most extreme cases and use them to paint the entire video game-playing populous. People in general do that. You know a couple of "hardcore gamers" with no self-control, who are causing distress on the family that has to support their habit, and then you form the opinion that games must be bad if they cause people to do that. I don't know why we take a tidbit of information and use it to make sweeping generalizations, but we do. Maybe it's due to our need to organize and make sense of the world.

So one person learns things like team-work and setting long-term goals, while another person just becomes a leech on society. It can be both. Heck, it can be both within the same person during different periods of their life; life is a dynamic experience.

Afternoon,

"Top Researchers conclude that videogames help people live longer in that they are statistically involved in less car accidents."

(JK...S+F)

-Peace-

Ha! In your face mom and dad.

In my attack chopper I just took down a fighter jet, a helicopter, an army cargo plane and an attack helicopter all flown by real people in gta online

Say what you like about games but that takes some skill

Maybe I am addicted but cynics have no idea of the adreneline fueled split second action I experience on a daily basis

just got back from the opticians, since my son has been playing computer games his sight has detiorated when prior to that it was improving, and they're good for you?