Video Games

[Werty]

So, I was sitting in English today, and, we were discussing video games(I think one of my friends brought up screen-looking and that set it off). So, I asked him what his favorite game was, and, I forget his answer, but, after I had asked him that, I asked him what he thought about video games. He simply said "I think they're a waste of time."

So, story aside, my question is, what are your thoughts on video games? Do you think they're useless or a good stress reliever? Personally, I think they're nothing more than a form of entertainment similar to reading, only more interactive.

[Triple J]

I just think that it really depends what game you are playing.

If George plays Grand Theft Auto for months nonstop I really think he will turn out a good bit worse then Paul who plays Warioware nonstop.

I think overall it might make you a bit less active in some ways, but it can really help you with planning and alternate thinking.

[Raxo]

I usually play games to waste time so yes they're a waste of time.

Sometimes when I'm playing I stop and realize how I could be doing something much more productive like learning a new skill, exercising, or reading a book.

[emokid72]

Seriously, any and all entertainment is a waste of time, though we thrive on it. I play them, and I enjoy them, but that isn't the question.

[badumpbumpbump]

Video games are a waste of time, but I still play them. Plus, games like Brain Age are sometimes good....
Heard somewhere that certain FPS could increase your eyesight....

[Dresden]

Oh of course games are a waste of time. But they're a fun waste of time.

And of course FPS's increase your senses, like hand-eye coordination. Everyone knows that kids who do the school shootings played games like Doom 3 and Halo. (I remember seeing that on the news after one of the very first ones... bullshit)

[HappyPalooza]

The way I see it, you're supposed to enjoy life, and I enjoy playing video games with friends. So, I never think of myself as wasting time as much as cherishing it. Besides, 70% of the time I'm playing video games, I'm playing them with friends, so I'm getting some social activity, I suppose. :ahe:

[BilkEmDanno]

To me, it is like watching an interactive movie. Best part is, you can often do this with a friend. Games are in no way, shape, or form a waste of time. In technicality, games can be called many things. Entertainment, an art form, stress relieving/causing tools, and so on. The only people who I have seen really firm on the fact that games are wastes of time are usually adults who did not have anything even close to this growing up. I'm talking the people before Pong. Foreign technology, something they've never/hardly tried, and it's easier to just call it a waste of time then actually pull a thesis on something they barely know.

[Pyro]

Anything you do, and have fun with in my opinion, can not be a waste of time.

[Matrixangel]

Video games are not a waste of time! If it weren't for my weeks worth of guitar hero hours, I wouldn't be very good now would I? Video games can also enhance your reflexes and stuff. I've been playing these things for years and catch flies with my bare hands!

[Richard_Simmons]

Video game are a waste of time, but sometimes that is good. Like when you are on a plane trip or a car trip and need something to do.

[Chocoholic]

It completely depends. If you're playing nonstop and start to disregard life then obviously it's a bad thing. But if you play for a couple of hours when you have nothing to do, what's the harm? Sure you could be reading a book or taking a bike ride or something but sometimes all you really want to do is kill some dudes with a sniper rifle. The rise of the internet has also brought in interaction with others, no longer making gaming something you have to do all by yourself.

Plus studies have shown that surgeons who play games for about 5-6 hours a week (compared to surgeons who don't play games at all) are steadier with their hands and much less likely to make mistakes during surgery.

It all depends on how much you game and how seriously you take it. I think you can become addicted to anything, even books and their fantasy worlds. They actually have Harry Potter summer camps where you make "potions" and shit. And that definitely doesn't sound healthy.

[BilkEmDanno]

I agree wholeheartedly. There is a fine line between superiorly addicted and a casual gamer. I used to play World of Warcraft and I got addicted. I stayed up in the late night time on schoolnight, I used to not even do my homework. That was unhealthy. Sure, I wasn't wasting time- technically. But I began to ignore the things I had to do in real life. Games can have that effect on people. And that's the scariest stuff.

[I_Smell]

If George plays Grand Theft Auto for months nonstop I really think he will turn out a good bit worse then Paul who plays Warioware nonstop.

Woah woah woah- I see what you're saying here, but I think you used some pretty awful examples.

GTA, let's say San Andreas because it's the most recent one relative to Warioware, was a game about CJ. CJ's coming back to his hometwon, Los Santos, for his mother's funeral. Soon after he arrives, his old gang get framed for this big drug smuggling thing, everyone gets ambushed and the player, CJ, is dumped in the rural countryside by some crooked police. From start to finish, the player's encouraged to explore a massive map of fictional places, learn their way around the place in as much or as little detail as they want, you can mod cars, set up whatever business ventures you want, get a job, buy some clothes or a haircut, do some optional favours for people, there's loads of classic real music for anyone to listen to or start listening to, you have to manage your money, relationships, and basic priorities like hunger, strength and stamina, you meet dozens of varied and individual characters with seperate and interlinking stories, everything you do good or bad has a consequence; I could go on, but I won't. If I could recommend someone to play a game nonstop, I think GTA would be the one. Sure they might develop an overly keen interest in suburban gang culture, but it's worth it for everything else you get from it.

Then there's Warioware. Fuck. I sure hate that game. WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a collection of microgames played in rapid succession based on simple actions which usually last fewer than five seconds each. The challenge for the player is to assess the situation and move the remote the right way before being presented with another game. That's it. I don't know how many games there are, but I'll be ashamed if it's less than 100.

Yeah, I'm on a games course, so I write 500-word-essays about games n shit every other week. Do I think games are a waste of time? I don't think I need to answer that.

[Hickabod]

Video games increase attention span, improve hand-eye co-ordination, and increase reaction speeds. There are a number of positives to play video games, but the culture has been framed as obsessive, as if everyone who plays video games does something like 6+ hours a night. In moderation I think Video games can be quite good for the player, but in excessive amounts I think it can be very wasteful.

[I_Smell]

Video games increase attention span, improve hand-eye co-ordination, and increase reaction speeds.

I fuckin wish they did. What most games do is take regularly easy tasks and simplify them to the press of a button. If you want to increase your hand-eye co-ordination, learn an instrument or something challenging. All games do with your hands is have them repeat a few simple excersizes again and again and again, mostly pressing buttons. I'd say that stunts your hand-eye co-ordination.

As for attention span and reaction speeds: I dunno, probably.

[BilkEmDanno]

I have never, I say never, seen Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas seem like such a humanitarian game.

Go I_Smell, you did good for humanity.

[Werty]

I fuckin wish they did. What most games do is take regularly easy tasks and simplify them to the press of a button. If you want to increase your hand-eye co-ordination, learn an instrument or something challenging. All games do with your hands is have them repeat a few simple excersizes again and again and again, mostly pressing buttons. I'd say that stunts your hand-eye co-ordination.

As for attention span and reaction speeds: I dunno, probably.

I can't agree with you on that. It just seems like saying it like that seems almost as if you were playing a button masher. While some games do that, others, it seems, take that idea, and have you do it at specific times. Some games, if you do something too early, will result in your death, thus leading to an increase in both attention and reaction time.

I'm mainly referring to CoD 4 here, because, say you try and throw a grenade at an enemy, but, you're behind a wall. If you hit the wall, then the grenade bounces back and might kill you while if you time it right, it'll decrease the time you're exposed, and as you turn the corner, the grenade will be flung out, and you can go back behind cover. And in multiplayer, you need trigger finger reactions in order to see enemies before they do you, and that probably increases your attention as well.

[Hickabod]

As for attention span and reaction speeds: I dunno, probably.

I'd say reaction speed is certainly improved, but attention span is an interesting one. Don't you always find the kids that have short attention spans for things such as reading, writing and other such like, play video games for the most hours?

[Voracious32]

Don't you think the outcome of this poll is a bit stacked, as you're posting it on an internet forum?

[Shadowpriest]

Don't you think the outcome of this poll is a bit stacked, as you're posting it on an internet forum?

Just because its an internet forum doesnt mean people don't have lives.

[Dexide]

Not only are video games a waste of time, they're a waste of a youth's innocence, just look at the murder rate of young people compared to thirty years ago!

All jokes aside, sure video games are a waste of time, but they're mostly just for fun, and it's not like they're being made so people will ignore they're responsibilties and ONLY play video games, although some people are like that. I, and most others probably, just play video games when they have spare time or are bored, and need something to do.

[Mdotcooley]

I always thought that was kind of the point of video games was to waste time its not like you are doing anything productive with them. Not to say that is a bad thing.

[Fugga]

How about games like Brain age or Wii fit? those aren't a waste of time

[person]

I suppose it really just depends on the type of game in question. In my personal opinion, I think that when it comes to RPG's it becomes a waste of time. When a person decides to play video games not because they have nothing to do but because they need to get to the next level, that's when they need to step away.

[I_Smell]

How about games like Brain age or Wii fit? those aren't a waste of time

I'd personally say that doing repetetive primary-school level maths is a pretty big waste of time.

[nahahaha]

Video games require mind, so not a waste of time

[blltmssgy]

Of course they are a waste of time, that is their sole purpose. To give us something to do when we are bored, i.e. wasting the time. It may be more enjoyable, but it still is a waste of time.

[I_Smell]

You can play games for research purposes and artistic inspiration =(

[haza]

They aren't a waste of time if you enjoy playing them and have fun doing it.

[Disposable]

It depends on the type of game. They can be used for educational purposes, but even action games help improve motor skills and reaction time. I grew up playing the Commodore 64, and some of those games relied on actually typing out commands (hitchhikers guide to the galaxy), so it definitely improved my vocabulary when I was a kid.

I've been playing videogames all my life and though I am a bit on the unsocial side, I think I turned out relatively smart.

[Pyro]

You can play games for research purposes and artistic inspiration =(

I completely agree with this. Games are like the game makers ideas and their inspiration put together to share and they are ideal for artistic inspiration for others.

[badumpbumpbump]

I've changed my opinion.
They aren't a waste of time if you enjoy playing them and have fun doing it.
I would have to agree, saying video games are a waste of time is sort of like saying that playing basketball or reading books are a waste of time. They have benefits like getting exercise or increasing your knowledge, but video games also have certain benefits.

A case where video games would be a waste of time is if you are hopelessly addicted and not really enjoying the game.

[Cristo]

I'd say reaction speed is certainly improved, but attention span is an interesting one. Don't you always find the kids that have short attention spans for things such as reading, writing and other such like, play video games for the most hours?

I saw a Discovery channel documentary on Gaming etc. and there was a segment on how FPS actually improve your aiming irl by a scary amount.

They took this one gamer kid, stuck a deagle in his hand and made him shoot melons and apparently his aim was 80% better than that off other "non-gamers".

[breakwings]

And of course FPS's increase your senses, like hand-eye coordination. Everyone knows that kids who do the school shootings played games like Doom 3 and Halo. (I remember seeing that on the news after one of the very first ones... bullshit)

Yeah but to be honest I bet 90% of the kids at those schools played Halo or Doom, so its a bit hard to say that the games influenced the shootings.

[badumpbumpbump]

I think he wasn't being serious. Also, the kids have mental disabilities already, and video games aren't going to make them go on a shootout.

[Dresden]

Nah, the games wouldn't make them go on the shootout. They'd just make the kids wish they had spartan lasers and BFGs when they did the shoouts.

[MaxAlcolo]

I don't think you can qualify video games as a waste of time if you are available and want to play them. It might become a waste of time if, let's say, you have an essay to write for school, but you intentionally decide to play a video game instead. Though in that case the games are not to blame, it's just that you have a procrastination problem or you aren't able to set your priorities correctly.

It would all be the same thing if I decide to read a book of my choice instead of working on my assignments for school.

[Smelz]

My time is worthless, I couldn't waist it if I tried. But seriously games are a form of entertainment and entertainment is sort of a necessity (without entertainment the world would not be a nice place). And they are good for relaxation just like reading or fapping.

[Voracious32]

Video Games are only a waste of time insomuch as that pure entertainment is a waste of time.

[Richard_Simmons]

If you think about it as time NOT spent reading or working, yes it is wasted time. But, I believe if you get enjoyment out of something, it's worth all the time in the world.

[gordanthefree]

Depends on which game you play, something you need to spend like 6hours + per day to do anything in is a waste of time, just a FPS isn't. It relieves stress you get from school/work.

[arch_vile4]

video games are my only release from school work. They give me a chance to unwind and due to my infinite broadband i can also socialize with friends while im at it.

overall games = my social life + my relaxation.

without them i would probably go crazy

[I_Smell]

Games are my one source of income right now and I've got more money than anyone I know. Who the fuck voted Yes?

[Shadowpriest]

Games are my one source of income right now and I've got more money than anyone I know. Who the fuck voted Yes?

Probably some guy that didn't get an Xbox for christmas so he's taking it out on the entire industry itself with a meaningless vote that will never be considered for anything. Ever.

Or maybe somebody who has a life. Im sticking with option No. 1 though.

[Imthedriver]

I firmly believe that video games are not a waste of time, and they are wonderful stress relievers. I have been playing video games since 1988 and I am not some little crumy bullshit kid who wants to shoot up his school, nor have I ever stolen anything in my life (a reference to the GTA series). I use games to do things I would never do in real life. so they are a good thing to have in your possestion.

[rkenney08]

saying video games is a waste of time is like saying reading or going to the movies is a waste of time. some people use video games as a release from stress. also, one thing noone has mentioned is stradegy games. i have been playing games like starcraft and age of empires for as long as i have been playing games, and it has definetly made me better at assessing situations and thinking things through

[MaxAlcolo]

saying video games is a waste of time is like saying reading or going to the movies is a waste of time. some people use video games as a release from stress. also, one thing noone has mentioned is stradegy games. i have been playing games like starcraft and age of empires for as long as i have been playing games, and it has definetly made me better at assessing situations and thinking things through

I think that's going a bit far. It might have helped you learn how to set your priorities at the most, but don't tell me you've had to build a defense around your house or counter an invasion many times in your life.

[spaj]

Ex-gamer here; ever since I stopped gaming so much 2 years ago my life has only improved, so naturally I'm going vote yes, it can be a massive time drain, a distraction and a waste of time.

[AnnaNemyss]

Well, speaking as someone who is going to design and make video games for a living, I don't think video games are a waste of time. They are exactly what they are called, interactive games. Are board games considered a waste of time? No, they are used to pass the time or to have fun, same goes for the video games.
So they're not a waste of time, unless you're wasting time you don't have on them. But don't blame the video game when there was an assignment due the next day but you spent the whole night trying to get to level 9 on Frogger. That's just called lack of prioritizing.

[Homemaster]

Let's all try and ground our arguments on the BENEFITS of gaming and use that as a reason why they do or don't waste our time.

If I'm having fun, it's not a waste of time. This counts doubly so with friends. At times, however, I feel I could be more productive and when a game becomes a way to procrastinate then it is bad. Screw it, I'm still having fun procrastinating!

[RedDawn]

No not really. Especially when there is nothing to do.....if you think games are a waste you suck! No offense guys!

[TummyFish]

No. Just NO. Games are fun. I enjoy them and thats all I care.

[Player]

Well video games are for sure time consuming, but that doesn't mean their a waist of time.

[Dauntasa]

05-22-2008
03-04-2009

Hmm...

[alibots]

If playing video games is a waste of time, then what do you call this?

http://cheddarvision.tv/

Don't tell me watching cheese age is more relevant.