Playing games can be really fun and exciting for many but how do we know if we are playing too much to the point that it becomes a waste of time and not using your time on more useful things?
Gaming can become a waste of the time once the duration of the game has become excessive and the user has played over 2 hours per day. Though specific games can be useful and build on self-development, there are other games that can be a waste of time.
Gaming per se is not a waste of time when time and game playing are used for leisure purposes. However with anything in general, the mo
Is Gaming A Waste Of Time?
There is absolutely no doubt that gaming can be super beneficial especially when you are in a stressed environment and you’ll just need to getaway. There is no better feeling than just sitting in front of a PlayStation or Xbox and playing for hours. However, it has been well documented that this can be very destructive when you play over a certain hour and on a continual basis. Check out this article which explains these effects in detail.
Is playing games bad for you?
It’s very well known that playing video games can have some benefits to your mental health and in some cases, you’ll become more productive. However, playing games for a long period of time can have detrimental effects and can indeed be harmful for you.
Gaming can develop into what the World Health Organisation calls a gaming disorder. Gaming disorder is defined in the 11th revision of the Internal Classification of Diseases as a pattern of gaming behavior. This “gaming behavior” ensures the user increases their priority levels to gaming over other activities such as their own interests and family.
According to World Health Organisation, gaming disorders can be associated with stress, depression, obesity, anxiety, and sleeping disorders. WHO also discovered that gaming disorder can isolate you from your friends and family and generally doing productive work which can trigger depression.
In short, we are not saying that playing games are a bad thing it is therapeutic and is something that is needed from time to time. If you indulge in gaming, it can become very unhealthy and can have grave health disadvantages.
When gaming is good for you?
Researchers have found out that playing video games can indeed be good for you and increase your ability to process information and sometimes make you more productive in the real world. However, playing too much of video games can be harmful to you.
Some of the reasoning behind this is because of the stress that we tend to get from the outside world and so it makes sense that if we can zone out or take a break for a few hours it could be somewhat good for us.
Video games can actually have positive effects including fitness. With the increasing popularity of VR, it has become evident that gaming developers have created certain games that will ensure the player uses physical space, i.e. Tennis or basketball. Of course, this is not the same as actually playing the game in real-time, however, it creates a pathway for gamers to get off the couch and become more active.
Do Video Games Have Positive Effects?
Like anything else, video games both have their own advantages and disadvantages. From our research and speaking with hundreds of gamers the disadvantages outweigh the positives because of its addictive nature. However, below is a list of some positive benefits that video gaming can offer if used correctly.
1. Gaming Can Increase In Becoming More Sociable
When you play video games online you tend to meet strangers online and more often form a relationship. Some gamers can be socially awkward, so being forced to talk to someone online can be a major benefit because it will increase your interpersonal skills and confidence levels.
2. Becoming A Better Problem Solver
I think whilst playing a game you’re sharpening your skills to become an analytical and a problem solving skills. These games are usually role and scenario baed where your put in a specific situation and it is up to you in how you deal with that specific situation.
3. Decrease Mental Stress With The Right Amount Of Gaming
As mentioned earlier in the post, playing video games when your extremely stressed from work or school or life in general, it is a great way to get away and just zone out for a few hours and then come back to reality when playing a video game.
How Much time should be spent on games?
I’ve written on this in a detailed article here that you should play around 30min – 60min per day. This is the recommendation of numerous researchers including the World Health Organisation that the gamer can develop a gaming disorder which can potentially cause a disconnection and alienation from mainstream society.
If the user plays too much of it. It is relatively very difficult to stop playing when you’re invested in the game so this would essentially require the user to be self-disciplined or someone who just doesn’t have the time and can only play for 30 – 60min a day and then go back to their day job or study.
Should You Quit Playing Games?
The short answer is that it depends. There is no doubt that playing video games can have tremendous health benefits to your psyche and in some cases your physical health.
However, if you have an addictive nature to the point that you can play games for more than 2 hours every day with having extreme issues in stopping yourself then it might be worth to just take a break and take a few months off before going back.
If you’re someone that can stop playing after you’ve had your productive time then you shouldn’t quit. It is much better for you to just play these types of games one day a week.
Wrapping up
To conclude, we have discussed whether gaming is a waste of time and then we went into specific questions about whether gaming is good or bad for you. We also discussed the positive effects that gaming can have with your mental health especially if your working long hours or always studying, it can be a way of escaping the world if you may.
We also mentioned that whether quitting gaming altogether is worth it, sometimes its good to just take a break for a couple of months if you have an addictive nature otherwise play games but minimize the risk of developing a gaming disorder by playing 30-60min a day or one hour per week.
