A recent study published in Nature showed that after 12 hours of playing a road game that was created to help bolster focus and attention, healthy 70 and 80 year olds scored just as well as individuals that were 50 years younger.
Video games can be a fun way to kill time and for young kids, there can be educational benefits when playing certain online learning games. Video games in and of themselves aren’t bad. But when they begin taking over free time – consuming it – and if you can’t stop thinking about the game when you aren’t playing, then there’s something wrong.
It’s 8am on a summer morning. Your teenager just woke up and they went straight from their bed to the computer to start playing their favorite online role playing game.
It is 11 o’clock at night and the glare of the computer screen lights up a dark room. Your son or daughter sits in front of the screen, zoned out, playing hour after hour of their favorite video game.
Sound familiar?
By Brooke Strickland
Grandma is babysitting her 8-year old grandson. She’s on the living room couch enjoying her favorite television show and the grandson is in the other room playing video games – Grand Theft Auto IV to be exact. This game is known for its glorification of stealing, raping, killing, and destroying everything that the player comes into contact with.
By Brooke Strickland
Your spouse is in front of the computer for hours on end. All you can see is your loved one slouched over, intent on shooting the bad guys, and it seems to go on and on. Hour after hour, day after day, it’s the same old thing.
By Brooke Strickland
More and more, we are hearing about video game addiction in the news. Kids, teenagers, young adults, and even married couples are seeing the devastating effects of gaming addiction in their homes. Gaming may start out as innocent fun – a way to kill time – but it can soon take hold of a person’s mind and overtake the way they view and live life – killing their relationships and for some, even taking their lives.
By Brooke Strickland
Free online games are everywhere. Maybe one of your friends likes playing these games and told you about it. So, in a moment of boredom, you pull one up onto your computer screen or iPhone.
By Brooke Strickland
You’re sitting in front of your TV or computer shooting bad guys that pop up on the screen. You reload your rifle, sharpen your sword, and start conquering levels, killing everyone wicked that crosses your path. It’s fun shooting the bad guys, right? It is fun acting out violently in a video game because it’s not real, right?
By Brooke Strickland
Do you plan your day around your online crop? Do you think about when your online harvest will be ready? Do you close your eyes at night and see cartoon cows and pigs?
By Brooke Strickland
Little red, green, and yellow birds with mean little faces: you see those little faces all over. On t-shirts, hats, laptop screens, posters, and even cookbooks – Angry Birds have taken over! It first was available for download in 2009 and since then, has been downloaded by users over 1 billion times.
By Brooke Strickland
You might not be shooting an enemy, killing a dragon, or rescuing the princess, but if you have spent endless hours on your computer or smartphone playing Candy Crush Saga and you go to bed dreaming of colorful candies, then you’re probably showing signs of being addicted to the game.
Dr. Andrew Doan & Melanie Hempe discuss video game addiction from an addict's aspect, medical research data, and a mother's perspective.