Research is showing a link between the brains of people who spend much time playing video games and people who are addicted to other things, such as
gambling. I personally believe video games can be addictive, at least for some people. I've experienced that "reward" feeling for accomplishing
certain achievements or things in a game, or for simply playing a game, seeing the sights and sounds and interacting with it. I've also noticed that
while normally a very calm person, I do from time to time experience that "gamer rage", where for example I go from doing very well in Call of Duty
with high scores and great k/d ratios every round, to suddenly getting killed several times in a row without much chance to defend myself. I usually
have a good k/d ratio, but I recall once when I had 0 kills and 10 deaths within the first 30 seconds to minute of a match. It was extremely
aggravating and I was tempted to smash my controller on the floor, as I'm sure everyone who plays Call of Duty can relate to. What was interesting
though was the fact that this didn't make me want to quit... It made me want to try harder, go faster, be more attentive. I wanted to keep going and
going until I could redeem my failure with a great match. Anyway, the point being, I do recognize that video games can cause various changes in the
brain, and temporary changes to personality even. The question is, though... Is this bad? Or is it a good trait to have, to be able to adapt? What are
the positives and negatives of gaming when it has such effects on you?


