Well done!
Darren

I am an online gamer playing mostly Counter Strike Gun Game (deathmatch pref) – although I do own all the Medal of Honour, Call of Duty and Far Cry releases. It is a great way to relax and escape from a grindy day or waste a few spare hours on a Saturday or public holiday – particularly in the morning so you use up some off-peak bandwith.

My first problem however arises when I get find myself getting agro at someone who comes in and seeks my attention (family) whilst playing – I get a little gnarly at them cos I am going for a knife shot that even Steven Seagal would be proud of…

I also find myself trying to make time for gaming – namely getting everything else ‘less important’ done so it leaves me plenty of time to relate to 3d graphics. I have had both breakfast and lunch at the computer before on the same day – just escaped from having dinner there too.

Lastly, after a few maps I tend to find myself feeling rather negative emotionally. I wonder whether it is my body having a crack at me for wasting so much time on this thing…or maybe because my eyelids haven’t blinked for 3 hours!!!

These aren’t really my opinions – they are simply my experiences. I have packed my PC away for this week to see how I go – cold turkey is always nicest with cranberry sauce!

As for why we game (as in computer games) I saw an interesting documentary on it recently that demonstrated the addictiveness as a form of pavlovian conditioning. In essence, the games teach our bodies to get excited at our small wins and so get us to keep sitting there. So if it’s eating too much of our lives, the only way to really get on top of it is to stop altogether. The problem is by that stage, it’s an addiction and stopping isn’t so easy. I can certainly see this in a lot of games I’ve played in the past..

‘Doing nothing for others is the undoing of one’s self’ – Horace Mann

But gaming has the innate ability to drive us further and further from God’s ideal and His calling on us and make us inactive, unproductive and self absorbed… all the while wondering why our life isn’t amounting to anything and why we’re always empty.

Thanks Tim. Good to have your thoughts on here.

just my 2 cents

Tim

I think games are helpful in teaching us things yeah sure… but that’d not what ‘gamers’ really spend their time on for the most part. Learning about how to level up your character or build a city doesn’t really teach you anything worthwhile.

Gaming, I think, for the most part, has become unhealthy for individuals. For team games (e.g. Guitar Hero series) or games on the Wii for example which encourage activity and relationship, I think they help in some ways.

We can’t get on top of our gaming habits? Baloney! Nothing is outside the realm of human capacity and God capacity to beat and balance and stay that way. I’m a example of that. We can balance gaming and have healthy, productive, creative, relational lives that include games somewhere in the mix. When computers or games have BECOME the centre to that mix, something is very wrong.

Cheers for your comments mate.

Social activity in which teamwork and a variety of skillsets and roles can be brought together against a common foe, whether it be an artificial intelligence or other people.

Why do we do it?

To spend time with friends, doing something non-repetitive and adventurous. Also the challenge.

Do you spend too much time doing it?

I don’t think so, however I don’t have critical constraints on my time like kids. Things that can’t be ignored

How can you get on top of it… for good?

Ummm, hide in a hole? Do something else with your friends? It all depends on what you use it for, if you need an escape, then books are a good replacement, if you need to do something, there are hundreds of different crafts out there which create something. You could also write things, explore things, or talk to things (usually people are a good choice).
Meanwhile if its late, and you want to do something other than watch tv, then you could play a game… or do the dishes…

What about games like sim city, the sims, etc? They aren’t usually brain-numbing; they require thought and planning, and the development of a strategic way of thinking (can be a pretty big bonus when applied to other areas of life…). They don’t really let you win, ever, either.

Maybe there’s room somewhere for games that can be positive for life… wouldn’t that be cool!