5 ms·

There is a darker side to video games that people don't take into account. As per the article, games are highly stimulating. For children and even adults (me i

by jwdunne 11y ago

There is a darker side to video games that people don't take into account. As per the article, games are highly stimulating. For children and even adults (me in particular), time slips away and 12 or more hours have been spent playing games. This is especially pronounced with ADHD. No matter how much good video games do for the brain, 12 hours remained fixed in front of a console or PC is not healthy. There have been cases of DVT due to bad sitting positions and maybe 4 hours spent on a game. The other issue is that, if you are prone to hyper focus, you ignore your responsibilities, including using the toilet or eating. For so e people, games ARE that captivating. As a funny but also quite sad story, my fiancée bought a second hand PS3, which I protested. Each successive weekend, I spent around 24 hours each completing game after game. She wasn't pleased. Mainly because I ignored her, contributing absolutely nothing to household chores, and partly because she was excited to play the games. A good deal is that I can play games if I want to once the kids are in bed. I have Half Life 2 half completed, which is a bloody captivating game. I do, however, try to focus on other highly stimulating activities that don't entrance me for large blocks of time. As a side-note, programming has a similar effect. I'd argue that was far more productive. This actually led on directly from gaming so I can't complain much. EDIT: my autocorrect seems to be on a rampage lately. This one takes the biscuit though: "using the toilet of eating".

throwaway999777 11y ago
Most people aren't as obsessive as you.
- jwdunne 11y ago
  Maybe not but when you're an obsessive you also realise there are many, many more like you. Some of them are even more obsessive.
- tdkl 11y ago
  Yeah, most are definitely healthy, responsible adults without any addictions and time-wasting activities.
  - throwaway999777 11y ago
    Reduce my relative comparison of a wide spectrum to an either-or choice between idealized, perfectly disciplined human beings and everyone else. Nice work, you win.
lohengramm 11y ago
Having played lots of strategic and competitive games in the course of my life, I definitely spent a lot of time on it, and also experienced everything you said and more. Nowadays, in order to keep my focus on more productive tasks, I tend to force myself not to play, and also not to start playing any new game, because once I get started, it is hard to stop. Although the compulsiveness level might vary largely between individuals, I believe that this kind of compulsive behavior is specially true among MMO players. The social factor that MMOs bring is just too addictive, even for the least competitive and compulsive person. I have to say that games brought a lot of good things to my life, such as starting me in programming, friends, a lot of brain activity, great moments and raw fun, but there is a dark side, yes there is, and sometimes I wonder if it is worth it. It might depend on the situation of the individual.
- jwdunne 11y ago
  Exactly this. My poison in my teenage years was a small MMO with it's own development platform. Developing content for it became part of the game. I learned the basics of pixel art, good level design, story development and, of course, scripting from this game. It became an easel. It's interesting that I too have shifted to strategy game as I've got older. HL2 is just a nostalgia thing, I'm not partial to shooters. My biggest problem games are Europa Universalis IV and Crusader Kings 2 (now that I use Linux) and used to be Civ5 and Vic2 on OS X. With EU4, I got so into it I probably spent half the time watching DDRJake (who us totally insane at EU4 - took vassalised OPM Athens and recreated Alexander the Great's empire). Classics like AOE2 and Caesar 3 are a good past-time too. With treatment for ADHD, I can certainly resist a lot easier. I'm now getting more urges to program and build things, which I seemed to have lost from my youth after work grinding me down.
pdkl95 11y ago
> time slips away It doesn't help that many modern games explicitly use Operant Conditioning to keep people playing. MMOs and "free to play" games are notorious, but you will find Skinner Boxes in a lot of modern games. Extra Credits has a nice overview, which includes a few design suggestions which games can use instead of hooking players with a reward schedule. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtvrPTbQ_c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtvrPTbQ_c Also, it's not just games - you will find Operant Conditioning style reward schedules in some "social media" businesses, too, which can waste someone's day just as bad as any game.
- jwdunne 11y ago
  I notice this with social games especially. The whole levelling, achievement and overblown rewards system is designed to give a dopamine kick regularly, up until you need to pay to proceed. It's almost like a drug. In fact, that's how cocaine works. With ADHD, it's even worse. The mind craves stimulation as there's a distinct lack of dopamine in an area of the brain. Games amongst other things give this area nice kick, which is why we see hyper focus.
IraqCombatVet 11y ago
Yeah, there is a darker side to everything from eating and sex to sports and reading books. Example: Books have influenced people to commit all types of crimes including murder.

by jwdunne 11y ago

throwaway999777 11y ago

Most people aren't as obsessive as you.

jwdunne 11y ago
Maybe not but when you're an obsessive you also realise there are many, many more like you. Some of them are even more obsessive.
tdkl 11y ago
Yeah, most are definitely healthy, responsible adults without any addictions and time-wasting activities.
- throwaway999777 11y ago
  Reduce my relative comparison of a wide spectrum to an either-or choice between idealized, perfectly disciplined human beings and everyone else. Nice work, you win.

lohengramm 11y ago

Having played lots of strategic and competitive games in the course of my life, I definitely spent a lot of time on it, and also experienced everything you said and more. Nowadays, in order to keep my focus on more productive tasks, I tend to force myself not to play, and also not to start playing any new game, because once I get started, it is hard to stop. Although the compulsiveness level might vary largely between individuals, I believe that this kind of compulsive behavior is specially true among MMO players. The social factor that MMOs bring is just too addictive, even for the least competitive and compulsive person. I have to say that games brought a lot of good things to my life, such as starting me in programming, friends, a lot of brain activity, great moments and raw fun, but there is a dark side, yes there is, and sometimes I wonder if it is worth it. It might depend on the situation of the individual.

jwdunne 11y ago
Exactly this. My poison in my teenage years was a small MMO with it's own development platform. Developing content for it became part of the game. I learned the basics of pixel art, good level design, story development and, of course, scripting from this game. It became an easel. It's interesting that I too have shifted to strategy game as I've got older. HL2 is just a nostalgia thing, I'm not partial to shooters. My biggest problem games are Europa Universalis IV and Crusader Kings 2 (now that I use Linux) and used to be Civ5 and Vic2 on OS X. With EU4, I got so into it I probably spent half the time watching DDRJake (who us totally insane at EU4 - took vassalised OPM Athens and recreated Alexander the Great's empire). Classics like AOE2 and Caesar 3 are a good past-time too. With treatment for ADHD, I can certainly resist a lot easier. I'm now getting more urges to program and build things, which I seemed to have lost from my youth after work grinding me down.

pdkl95 11y ago

> time slips away It doesn't help that many modern games explicitly use Operant Conditioning to keep people playing. MMOs and "free to play" games are notorious, but you will find Skinner Boxes in a lot of modern games. Extra Credits has a nice overview, which includes a few design suggestions which games can use instead of hooking players with a reward schedule. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtvrPTbQ_c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtvrPTbQ_c Also, it's not just games - you will find Operant Conditioning style reward schedules in some "social media" businesses, too, which can waste someone's day just as bad as any game.

jwdunne 11y ago
I notice this with social games especially. The whole levelling, achievement and overblown rewards system is designed to give a dopamine kick regularly, up until you need to pay to proceed. It's almost like a drug. In fact, that's how cocaine works. With ADHD, it's even worse. The mind craves stimulation as there's a distinct lack of dopamine in an area of the brain. Games amongst other things give this area nice kick, which is why we see hyper focus.

IraqCombatVet 11y ago

Yeah, there is a darker side to everything from eating and sex to sports and reading books. Example: Books have influenced people to commit all types of crimes including murder.