Computer games – a Waste of Time or Not, by Alberto Statti

Computer games have been a subject of many debates in the past few years. Are they too

violent or too addictive, or take too much time to complete. The main question people and

parents ask, are computer games dangerous for those who play them as their main hobby?

Many words have been said about violence in games but way less is spoken about all the

violence that we see on television or in books. Why would games be different? When you

watch a movie you can cry, feel scared or laugh, but you somehow know that it isn’t real. It

just doesn’t give such strong sensations. Gaming, on the other hand, can sometimes be so real

that it becomes easy to forget that you are outside the screen. Some people give into this

feeling with such devotion that they stop paying attention to their real lives and the real

people around them. Such obsession can be as dangerous as any other addiction. We dream to

be successful, strong, and smart, to win all the time. Sadly in reality these goals are achieved

only after a lot of effort and hard work and sometimes it is difficult to feel accomplished and

in harmony with yourself if you are not moving fast enough to reach your ideals. Many

people tend to feel lost and insecure when thinking about what they have not achieved yet. In

contrast, when you create your profile in any given game you can become everything you

ever wanted to be.

Why leave the place where you are confident and powerful only to return to the normal

world?

There are a few physical aspects of gaming that are a boon in real-life:

Playing games helps to sharpen your senses such as reaction times

Gaming helps with coordination

It creates a different view of the world that can translate outside the computer

If you have good balance of your life and you don’t spend too much time playing computer

games, the skills that you develop while playing can help you make better decisions and even

be a better leader of other people.

Studies show that computer games can contribute for a better learning process. It seems that

students tend to feel more motivated about a given school subject if it is presented in the form

of a game. This provides a huge area for the development of different teaching approaches.

As reality can sometimes be hard, there is nothing wrong with pushing the escape button for a

while. It clears the mind, refreshes the brain and makes us happier with our own selves. As

long as we remember that nothing can replace the priceless moments of our real lives, games

can only do good.

By Alberto Statti