Wait just a second.. We were wrong! Gaming is bad for kids! (Well in my experience)

RetiarySword

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Yep, I think the doom sayers might of been right. Before you jump in hear me out;
I've been playing games for more than a decade now, I would say around 14 years. I've defeated the robots, shot countless holes into hordes of aliens, found the master sword and saved the brainless princess, so I've been around you might say.
I'm now giving up gaming (Well for the most part) as its become too much of a distraction from studies and a dusty social life. I've sold my xbox, selling my gaming rig for a simple laptop (which can play steam games. I'm not crazy) and trading in all of my games.

Part of the reason for this is I want to become successful, well financed, and all those things which build up power and I see gaming blockading that dream.
This train of thought led me to the question; 'What could've I achieved if I didn't get that SNES?'. I started gaming when I was seven, big thing back then as I was captivated by the stories, entertained by the halarious phrases and quirky characters. But what if I done the normal kid thing, went outside, played the sports, learned the guitar.. Where could I be now.

This is mostly down to jealousy. I'm at university now, so I've met many talented people, violin players, guitar players, piano, saxophone, etc. The sportsmen with their great level of physical fitness, the schollars with vast amounts of knowlege. What can I pass on to other people, apart from 'Watch out for the snakes on level 6!'?

I don't know, but I look back and think if I stuck with the guitar lesson, played football, continued karate lessons, I could've been well.. more.

What do you think? I don't think I'm going to let my future kids touch games. Well not until they're at least in their early teens, or have a sport or hobby to draw them away from the digital wasteland. I definitely think that seven is too young. Maybe my parents or even I should of paid attention to that +13 sticker on the box?
I don't know, just something I wanted to throw out there.

'In short for the people with the "If it's more than 6 lines, I'm going to skim it" attitude (I've been there too) here the question:
What do you think you could've accomplished if you let the princess rot in that cell?

EDIT: I do have social skills, and gaming didn't hamper my social time.
 

kordan11

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Sorry for the bluntness mate, but if you let gaming get in the way of all the things you wanted to do... it's not the games' fault.
 

RetiarySword

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kordan11 said:
Sorry for the bluntness mate, but if you let gaming get in the way of all the things you wanted to do... it's not the games' fault.
Yep, I realise that now. Still, young kids don't know any better. Hind sight is a wonderful thing.
 

JuryNelson

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Well you ARE probably good at games. And these days video games aren't a barrier to life, they're an avenue. All the multiplayer stuff, the MMOs and all that, it's become another way to interact with and relate to people.

But I think you're confusing cause and effect. I've been playing video games much of my life, too, and I know I didn't stay inside because I wanted to play video games, I played video games because I wanted to stay inside.
 

D_987

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What makes you think that just because you didn't play games you would have been more successful at something else? Sure, the possibility is there that such a time would've been used to hone a different skill; but there is just as equal probability that you would've spent the time doing something of equal measure, skill-wise.

You mention other avenues; such as instruments - did you really give up paying Guitar because you wanted to spend that time playing video-games; or was it due to the fact you just didn't like the instrument? Gaming is a hobby; just like everything else you've mentioned; and a more diverse one than most.
 

veloper

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It's a hobby.
If you're going to give up gaming you're going to need to find another hobby. That or live for your work like a lemming.
 

ICanBreakTheseCuffs

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the thread should be renamed "obsessive hobbies are bad".By the way,my father played games and he's succesful

[edit]the reason because you didn't stick with karate,guitar,or football is because you didn't have the will to continue on those things.I been playing guitar for a year and a half and I still play games. You just need the will to see things through to the end and also,what will you do after you get power,respect,money,what will YOU do yes YOU do?
 

Ertol

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I don't really see how me spending my childhood playing video games is going to mess up the rest of my life. I loved every second of it.
 

Plauged1

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FallenJellyDoughnut said:
The same thing can happen with ANY hobby.
This.

Why not just turn your gaming into a career, like most would do with an extreme hobby? I admit that if I put the games down for more than I usually do I can accomplish alot, but in the end its all self control and time management. Its my fault for "wasting time" not the game or the developers.
 

MisterShine

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RetiarySword said:
This train of thought led me to the question; 'What could've I achieved if I didn't get that SNES?'. I started gaming when I was seven, big thing back then as I was captivated by the stories, entertained by the halarious phrases and quirky characters. But what if I done the normal kid thing, went outside, played the sports, learned the guitar.. Where could I be now.


This is mostly down to jealousy. I'm at university now, so I've met many talented people, violin players, guitar players, piano, saxophone, etc. The sportsmen with their great level of physical fitness, the schollars with vast amounts of knowlege. What can I pass on to other people, apart from 'Watch out for the snakes on level 6!'?
This train of "what-if" thoughts is not at all uncommon, and trust me it is not at all limited to nerds or people who play video games. Ask those talented musicians if they've ever thought about what their life could be like if they'd never gotten seriously into their instruments, I guarantee a lot of them regret it or think "what-if" about it daily. The same goes for a lot of people who are studying for advanced degrees and athletes, we all wonder what we could've been if we'd taken that other path.

The real truth is that just like every other part of life, the key is moderation and well-roundedness. This is why parents need to limit things like video games, and ensure that they at least experience things like team sports, academic competitions and reading. Once you get old enough, you find what you really love to do and try to turn it into a career. If that fails, you find something you can tolerate and do your hobbies in your free time. Though it still remains a challenge to keep it all in moderation, some things can swallow you whole if you're not careful (I'm lookin' at you, WoW!)

edit: Wow I fucked that post up. Fixed now..
 

Sgt Doom

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Meh, for me gaming didn't cause my current social situation, but rather gave me something to do when socialising wasn't a viable option. Had been introduced to gaming when I was 8, but didn't become something I did very frequently until I started getting bullied from around 11 to 16. It's been continuing under it's own steam pretty much since.
 

Erana

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So, if I hadn't gotten an n64, I would have graduated from college at sixteen instead?
As previously stated, overuse and obsession is a hazard with any passtime. As long as you teach your child self-control, there's no problem with their playing video games. Of course, I typically use video games as a substitute for other media, like television or internet time, where other people view it as a supplement.
 

Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
well it comes down to, you can have all the success in the world if you work hard enough, but at what point do you live for the enjoyment of life instead of just working?
 

Dexiro

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Just like the violence argument, it depends on the kid. Some kids are the type that will be addicted to games and give up their social life for them, personally i think those kids should only be allowed to play games in moderation.
A lot of people live perfectly normal lives and prioritize their education while still gaming though.
 

Sampsa

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Sometimes I discuss this matter with my mother or myself (after I've looked at Xfire's gaming hours counter). However, We always come to the though that I've done some excessive gaming in the past (10 straight was no problem) but since the studies have become more demanding the time used for gamig gets reduced year by year. Plus, having access to bars also consume night's previously owned for gaming.

I don't know whether video game addiction is diagnosed as illness, but I think that is should be. Just like addiction to gambling. But in this topic I've to go with the flow (because I feel the flow is right!) and say that it's not game's fault if you've not done anything else besides them in recent decade.
 

Funkiest Monkey

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Games are not the source of your problems, you are. You lacked the motivation to get out there and now you're using the videogames as a scapegoat for your "failures".

Gaming is a legitimate hobby and is something that is accepted in the mainstream media nowadays. It's no more addictive than any other hobby can be. You could have easily done any of those things you wanted and still played games.

But you know what? It's never too late. Take up the guitar, join a sports club, do whatever you want! If you want to do something, go and do it! Nothing is stopping you. There's a world of opportunities out there and it's up to you to go find them. Carpe Diem. Seize the day.

Or, alternatively, you can sit at home and ***** about how games have fucked your life up.

Me? I'm gonna carry on gaming, do whatever the hell I want to do and enjoy myself. Not dwelling on "what might have been".

P.S. Don't deprave your future kids of videogames. It's up to you as the parent to monitor and control what your children get up to at an early age. With the correct guidance, they could very well do sports or learn an instrument, while enjoying videogames occasionally.

Shit. I'm not usually this motherly and serious. Sorry if this came off as "holier-than-thou" aswell, I was just trying to help. My position isn't perfect either, y'know. But with the right motivation you can do anything.
 

Littlee300

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kordan11 said:
Sorry for the bluntness mate, but if you let gaming get in the way of all the things you wanted to do... it's not the games' fault.
Game developers try to addict the players.
http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html
Cant...stop...playing...