Are computer games ruining peoples lives?

Just common sense and real life experience. If someone doesn't know when enough's enough and can't balance work and play or is using them as an eacape from reality then were they removed from the situation they would have gone to something else. Some people go to video games, some people go to drugs, some people go to alcohol. It's the same desire to forget the problems in the real world.

I've been addicted to video games and I've been in a place where I was drunk most of the time; both of which used to forget about my problems and stresses. I know many people that that is the case with.

It's doesn't have a scientific explanation, no, it's only inductive. But I categorize these people as all the same.

 

My general opinion is that computer games are for recreation and to relief stress. If it becomes the number 1 priority in your life and is placed above other things such as family and friends, that is when it begins to be a problem. Also, if you cant stop playing the game, I guess its already a sign of addiction and effort should rlly be made to stop before it gets worst

 

http://www.theshallowsbook.com/nicholascarr/Nicholas_Carrs_The_Shallows.html

http://www.alonetogetherbook.com/

The portion about a constrained space is from page 226 in the second book. The part of the statement I made pertaining to neural networks is derived from the first book.

You are correct. This is a very big puzzle, but many people are looking for the pieces and they are trying to fit them together as best they can.

It is very beneficial to seek out all the information you can in books, articles, journals, etc. There is a lot of literature out there on the topic. However, you might that one of the best ways to acquire knowledge over the situation is to observe the ways we speak to and interact with one another.

But for this reasoning you must begin with the assumption that an addiction to video games always begins with an inability to cope with real world problems. This may be true in some (perhaps many) cases, but can it hold true for toddlers?
I am not arguing that a video game addiction cannot have its root in real-world conflict, rather I contend that it occurs through a combination of real-world factors together with properties inherent to the video game systems; in specific cases the influence exerted by one factor may be greater than the other, but in the case of very young children it may be more likely that, given their immaturity, and thus their susceptibility, they fall victim to the appeal as well as the mechanisms of video games which cause them to get 'hooked'. As they move through life and encounter an increasingly wide array of challenges and conflicts, they already have at their disposal a virtual world images to which they can escape to in order to cope with life's stresses. However, this tends to become a viscous cycle: a given person will condition themselves to use video games as a means of escape, but in the process they exposes themselves to a mechanism which in fact exerts a direct influence on the nervous system, latching itself onto the mind, such that even under non-stressful circumstances, the urge to seek the pleasure of the virtual gnaws at the back of their heads.
This is a rational addiction. The consequences of prolonged video game use are not easily felt or visible, since they emanate directly from the afflicted person. It is very difficult to recognize one's self as the root of a problem which has no physical factor other than a seemingly benign projection of images. Coupled with the effect of dopamine, it becomes very difficult to let go of, or even acknowledge, the use video games even if they have become a problematic habit. In a sense, it becomes easier to imagine reasons for why one is not the root of the problem, and for why they should continue to play, thus perpetuating the cycle.


This is a problem which goes far beyond video games, and it is more pervasive than we generally acknowledge. It is extremely important that we examine our habits (however insignificant they might seem) when it comes to television, computers, cell phones, video games, or anything else really, but especially electronics, given their omnipresence in our lives.



For now, I've said all I need to say, but I would like for anyone who bothers reading these posts to consider McLuhan's words,

"For any medium has the power of imposing its own assumption on the unwary. Prediction and control consist in avoiding this subliminal state of Narcissus trance. But the greatest aid to this end is simply in knowing that the spell can occur immediately upon contact, as in the first bars of a melody."

 

I play Video Games almost everyday of my life but I moderate it. It's all about moderation. People need to know when to not spend money, to stop playing, or to stop their eating habits. I have a slow metabolism and easy don't gain any pounds (I'm not skinny but I am very close to it my whole life). I have learned a lot about life through gaming but have missed a lot of in life while gaming.

 

Well, your story is interesting but don't look at it that way. Do spoons make people fat? Do guns kill people? No. People make people fat. People kill people. It really depends on your discipline to yourself. I was once a hard-core gamer(not that much now) yet it really didn't affect my studies. I graduated with honors and awards. Point is, you can work it out if you discipline yourself enough.

 

This just isn't a valid arguement. Just like the above said do spoons make people fat? It's hard to say - people ruin people

 

Yes computer games can have great/huge affects on peoples lives. Can they ruin them? That depends on opinion because "ruin" can be classified differently among people. Example: Runescape has had a major affect on my life. I have lost thousands of dollars but also made money selling gold. So yes it has had a huge some what negative effect on my life.

 

The proper way to pose the question must then be, Do people ruin their lives with video games?

 

We'll if kids are playing on the computer and also studying and going tafe/school then yeah it's ok but if there in a tafe/school and sit on the computer all dy with no studying yes then it is ruining them

 

I don't understand why people blow money on video games although anything under $100 is so insignificant

 

Short answer: Yes.

 

Ruining? No
Distracting society's goal of a 'good life' Yes
Basically there not doing anything productive but as long as the gamer is happy at what he is doing in life-in this case playing video games then their not ruining their life's...

 

These things aren't forced upon us. We play out of our own free will. Blaming objects for our choices is pathetic.

 

i think it is a escape for most people who play games all day i do play like 2hrs of games a day but i get outta the house and do stuff with friends or i go to different car functions and have real interactions with people face to face.

 

Pretty much they are. Sometimes i want to do things with my life but the pc is holding me back.

 

I think social media is probably a worse culprit than videogames.

Nevertheless, I think it was probably videogames and computing which led me to be the reclusive person that I am. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm not very expressive and I have few people I could call good friends. On the other hand, I also feel that without videogames, which led me in to software programming, I wouldn't have the logical and critical mind that I do. Every cloud has a silver lining I suppose.

 

I play games because I enjoy playing games. I'm not addicted to playing them. Theres a fine line between having fun and enjoying yourself. Too having fun and enjoying yourself but can't actually stop.

If you can have a day to day life and still play games, then you're doing fine. If you sit around and play games but don't achieve things IRL. Then you've got a problem.

 

It's probably not something that should be prioritised over important things but in the end it is so yeah its ruining those peoples lifes. There was also a story a year or so ago about a couples baby who died because they were busy playing world of war craft so thats already solid proof.

 

people ruin people's lives.
computers, drugs, and vices are simply mechanisms we use to do so.

 

Maybe yes, maybe no. Depends on who you ask and how you ask. Maybe some will say yes and maybe others will say no. But imho , they aren't.