Gaming – From Possibility To Incapacity And Back

When I was a kid, I wished I could be a knight in the middle ages, fighting against warlocks and witches. Or maybe an airforce pilot, a prince on a quest to save the kingdom and win the heart of a princess or even Peter Pan, so that I could fly and and never grow up. Hearing all the fairy tales, the tales of adventure, glory, friendship, true love and chivalry, I said to myself: “I’m going to be like that. A big hero.” Later on, I figured that life does not quite flow that way. But that there is an alternative.

Nikola Stavrov, 2016, Terminator 2 Console. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/LVg2k

At the age of 5, I got my first gaming console. It was the Ending-Man Terminator 2, a copy of the Nintendo console, with the yellow cartridges. I can’t particularly remember many games I played on it but what I do remember is the feeling I had while playing the games – I was a hunter, a street fighter (I remember that particular game), and a racer. I was drawn into it, amazed by all the possibilities of what I can be and the things that I could do. Since there are no hunting grounds in the city, I was not big or strong enough to brawl on the corner, and did not have a drivers licence (amongst other things), the console became a portal into a completely new world of possibilities and options, in the real world possible only in a few years, if even then. But, like with everything, once you get into the rabbit hole, it’s hard to find a way out of it. Alluring as it is, and with all the promises it makes and delivers, especially with the way technology advances, we can forget that there are other planes that we should focus on, than just the fictional plane located on the other side of the screen.

Chris Mills, 2016, Lazy couch gamer. BGR. https://bgr.com/lifestyle/gift-guide-gamers-2016-5530370/

Games are worlds in which we can be whoever we want to be. You just have to choose the right code, the right device, the right portal. The real world can be overwhelming and most of us usually choose and outlet that we use to rest and recharge. Gaming is one of those outlets, especially during the current COVID pandemic, that is ongoing for almost 2 years already. Being able to sit back and relax, unwind from the world, our jobs and obligations, is an amazing feeling that we gladly dive into and rarely want to dive out. But as alluring as it may be, it might not be very wise to stay “dipped” for too long.

During the pandemic, many people have experienced a heightened sense of dread, and part of that could be due to prolonged periods of inactivity. Physical activity is needed, the body releases “feel-good chemicals”, like anandamide and endocannacbionids directly to our brain. These compounds not only block out pain receptors, but increase feelings of joy. When we have a deficiency in these important hormones, we tend to feel more anxious and depressed. These chemicals also have an effect on pain, and there’s a direct link between the aches and pains that come from being sedentary and our mental health. Meaning that when we sit on the sofa all afternoon doing nothing, those not-so-great emotions fester and intensify, creating a cycle of negative thinking.

During long hours (or even days of gaming) I have felt sluggish, unmotivated to do anything, as I did not feel like getting up. I did not pay any attention to the feeling while playing games, but of course, it hit as soon as I turned it off. And even though I did not do any kind of physical activity, I still felt tired and exhausted, wanting only to go to bed and sleep. I felt terrible for spending the whole day without doing anything, and yet at that moment, I felt very much satisfied.

Even so, used properly, some studies have shown that games can have positive effects on our psychology. Playing video games, including violent shooter games, may boost children’s learning, health and social skills (Engels et al., 2014).

CD Projekt Red. (n.d.). [Cyberpunk mercenary]. Cyberpunk. https://www.cyberpunk.net/rs/en/

However, while one widely held view maintains that playing video games is intellectually and physically lazy, such play actually may strengthen a range of cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and perception, according to several studies reviewed in the article. This is particularly true for shooter video games, which are often violent, the authors found. One meta-analysis found that playing shooter video games improved a player’s capacity to think about objects in three dimensions just as well as academic courses designed to enhance these same skills, according to the study. Funny enough, this enhanced thinking was not found when playing other types of video games, such as puzzles or role-playing games.

Playing video games may also help children develop problem-solving skills. The more adolescents reported playing strategic video games, such as role-playing games, the more they improved in problem solving and school grades the following year.

Children’s creativity was also enhanced by playing any kind of video game, including violent games, but not when the children used other forms of technology, such as a computer or cell phone.

PC Mag Digital Group. 2021 . [2 boys playing a video game]. PC Mag. https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-video-games-for-kids

The gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that just keeps growing, mostly on the addiction it makes. YouTube is full of videos where people go on frenzy due to a lost game, batteries dying, etc. and it affects our behaviour severely. But used properly, in a healthy way, combined with sleep and physical activities, a moderate use might be beneficial as it motivates the brain to solve problems and find a way around them. Entertaining as it may be, we must know when we can continue to the next level, and when we should get some rest before moving on to the next adventure.

REFERENCES

Bowen, L. 2014. Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits, review finds. APA. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/video-game#:~:text=Upfront-,Video%20game%20play%20may%20provide,health%2C%20social%20benefits%2C%20review%20finds&text=Comment%3A,of%20research%20in%20American%20Psychologist

Nichols, H. 2017. How video games affect the brain. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318345#Video-games-and-brain-changes

Tigar, L. 2020. Feeling Sluggish? Here Are 5 Ways Being Physically Inactive Affects Our Mind and Mood. Real Simple. https://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/what-happens-to-brain-without-exercise

Mental help. 2021. Video Games and Children.  https://www.mentalhelp.net/adolescent-development/video-games/