Are you a healthy gamer?

I've stumbled across a Youtube clip in which a person describes how video games were related to a part of his life being unsuccessful. He also mentions a life changing moment... and the time when he realised his mistakes. Here, watch the video please:

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Now, for the disussion...

I do agree that if video games achievements are more important to a person than anything you could achieve in real life then you have a problem.

The case the person desribes is quite extreme, and as far as I've weaved from side to side throughout my life, I always ended up giving up video games for real life.
However I would never say that video games are a waste of time... why?
Because just like the person says later in the video:
"Healthy gamers do not dwell away on the games but instead, embrace the community! While there may not be value in the games themselves, anything that brings people together, and builds communities that embrace who you really are can't be half bad..."


So... are YOU a healthy gamer? Or are you losing something important by losing yourself in those games?
Don't get me wrong. I love video games, and if only my future allows me to play them, I will do so till I rot after death.
What I'm interested is, do you think your gaming damages your real life? Has it ever ?

Also, VFDC community is one of the best... no... THE best I've met online so far. I'm glad I've met so many of you, even if it was only here, online. Every one of you is so different, every one of you has a different story, different life, different memories. You speak different languages, belive in different deities, or don't believe in anything particular... You are so different yet united by a common thing... a simple idea of a fighting game.
How cool is that?
Thanks guys, thanks Myke, thanks VFDC.

 

To be honest I find myself talking about fetishes on the shoutbox more often than actually playing VF.

I don't think that's healthy by any standard.

 

Neat video. In my biggest gamer years I had the richest social life as well. Shit now that I think about it I was crazy successful at the same time. Shit maybe I need to find an arcade!
Nah it wasn't the games that made those years prosperous but the people I knew that played the games with me.

Now I did game at a bar most of those years, it was just something all of us did as friends on an almost daily basis along with movies, chicks and sports.

Funniest thing is, although I know some of you put in mad dojo time it's nothing compared to the MMORPG people.

 

LOL.

Quite an extraversion bias; well, fuck extraverts.

 

bah.

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Really? Who brings up that kind of discussion?

 

Ive always placed real life issues above gaming. But on the other hand I havent found anything interesting in real life. Fighting games as a hobby is one of the few things that interests me.

 

I think the key words in that video were: Alone Overweight Divorced

I am not either of those things, so I am not in the position to judge him on his choice, but obviously he went one step too far.

Its not a matter of videogame addiction but of "people with problems playing videogames". he could have been hooked on food or TV or drugs or even porn and gambling, so VG and VF would have been much better LOL. Unlike the guy I believe being skilled at VF does actually make a difference in real life. I think VF makes you aware of tactics and helps you second guess opponents in every circumstance.

Having said all this, I have too many games in my collection and I will never have the time to finish them all, but some of these games are as good as any Miyazaki movie, real classic that deserve to be played once in a while and ADD to the quality of my life. Of course if I played NIGHTS all day every day you know thats bad, but Christmas time? thats ok in my book.

For some reason I regret the time I spent on this forum when instead I should have been working hard. It was not good. But it lead me to start this MA so maybe it was a good thing in retrospect?

 

Yeah... I honestly can't think how training your hand-eye coordination can't lead to at least a bit improved reflexes.

 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Also, he said his reflexes haven't improved,</div></div>

I'm willing to bet the past 6 years or so of his gaming life were spent playing World of Warcraft. That game would do very little for your reflexes.

 

Considering what he burnt halfway through, I'd say that was likely.

 

and what pray tell does good finger reflexes have to do with anything other than gaming?

 

Thumbs wars, obviously.

 

Good hand dexterity is actually pretty useful but only to aid other hobbies.

e.g. fighting games and painting.

 

fighting games won't make you a better painter lol, they do say that they can help you keep your wits into old age though; since they challenge the brain. Most old fucks go for the worse because they have no real challenges and just sit about.

 

You're saying that painters are not very dexterous?

You're crazy man once they have an idea in mind how do you think they get it from their head to the canvass?

 

Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial.

 

What are you talking about speed painting?

Show me a painter that needs to wiggle his fingers in a confined fashion to do a painting, and yes I'm saying a painter doesn't need to be dexterous; just meticulous.