Are videogames a unhealthy habit?

seylen

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I think video games can be a bad habit when it takes too much time already and you fall out of reality and sit in one position all the time. I used to play Sims really all day long and my sleeping was ruined and my back was hurting. But I stopped playing games at all for a few months. Now I limit myself to such entertainment. I can allow myself to play a few levels of Super Mario or The Legend of Zelda on my old handheld console. DS Games are great for me because I don't spend as much time playing these as I would if I were playing on the computer. Video games take me 2-3 hours a week. It's enough for me to have fun and doesn't affect my health.
 

Zimbabwe

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Video games are a great hobby to have, good for hand eye coordination and stress relief. They can also be social if you invite friends over to play.
 

Dr.Suave

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I put limits on myself so I dont end up wasting a bunch of time on video games. If Im playing Fall Guys, I only do 1 crown a day.

If Im playing Mario, I only do 1 world a day. DMC/Baynetta/Splatoon only one stage a day.

Most Zeldas you can do 1 dungeon a day and just stop. Only if its a short campaign like Astros Playroom or Bowsers Fury I do it in a single session.
 

nicksaiz65

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I put limits on myself so I dont end up wasting a bunch of time on video games. If Im playing Fall Guys, I only do 1 crown a day.

If Im playing Mario, I only do 1 world a day. DMC/Baynetta/Splatoon only one stage a day.

Most Zeldas you can do 1 dungeon a day and just stop. Only if its a short campaign like Astros Playroom or Bowsers Fury I do it in a single session.
That’s the way to do it.
 

nicksaiz65

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No. In moderation video games are fine. There are far worse vices. I actually try to play more video games, as my therapist identified it as a de-stressor habit. My goal is to get to an hour of play on most days of the week.
Yeah, destressor for sure. I think everyone needs some kind of destressor.

Plus, it gives you motivation to grind and get through the work day or whatever cause it gives you something to look forward to. “Once I get through this work day I get to play the game for an hour”
 

eli77

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Just like cigarettes unless you get a check up for your head it could be damaging long term
 

Jesse Pinkman

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I think it depends on the type of videogame and the habit you have with them. If we are talking WOW addiction or some RPG that can go for long days, then yes, that is mostly unhealthy. However, I would argue that playing Madden, FIFA, or Call Of Duty online Multiplayer is actually quite masculine.

IMO, if you did not play Xbox Live during the time of Call Of Duty Modern Warfare and Halo then you missed out. The amount of trash talk, trying to hold your frame, and still perform is just insane. Sure, you can get it from sports but after high school, all that ends. You will be amazed at how many former military guys, former athletes, and other masculine male archetypes play those videogames online.

I have taken a decade long break from it all but want to get back to them now as my health has declined and I will likely spend the first 6 months of 2023 getting medically fixed. My hopes are that Cancel Culture is not to the point where I cannot trash talk anymore.

Those were some good times back in the day!
 

lost_blackbird

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was thinking of getting a ps5 just to test out GTA5 since I just bought a 77" Sony 4k OLED.
My favourite game. Checked my stats the other day and since 2013 when I created my online character,
I have spent over 5600 hours playing GTA online. :D Currently level 730 and sitting on GTA$125m all earned
in game, there's simply nothing left in game to spend it on. I have bought and upgraded all businesses,
properties and vehicle storage, Have all the good vehicles and all the weapons. I look forward to the new
content updates as they give me something to spend it on. I'm still playing the PS4 version on my PS5
because the boys in my crew are still on older consoles and if I migrate my character to the PS5 version
I won't be able to buddy up with them any more. No game has ever given me the laughs that this one
has and continues to do. I'm playing on a 65" 4k QLED.
 

Dr.Suave

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was thinking of getting a ps5 just to test out GTA5 since I just bought a 77" Sony 4k OLED.
Nice! I recommend playing Astro´s Playroom first. Its basically a 3 hour tutorial for your ps5 disguised as a game but its great.
 

patb

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I'd say that they're not good, but not the worst either. No worse than sportsball, tv, or whatever nonsense fad people are pretending to enjoy at the moment (eg indoor rock climbing).
 
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Gamisch

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I personally don't like gayms . Many years ago I was playing PES endlessly. I had nothing going on and probably was coping to push away depressions.

One day I was pulling yet another all nighter, when in the morning i heard children going to school. Then it dawned on me; i am living ivikg the dream of every 10 year old kid. Next day I threw away my ps2 and never touched a controller ever since. I somehow associated games with something that's for childers.

Kinda radical, I know. But I realized how extremely addictive games are and I also know I am sensitive for addictions. The hate for games got even stronger when I saw friends getting addicted over the years and playing away their entire life. I "missed out " on ps3 and ps4 movement.

Nowedays I am thinking about getting a ps5 though and I can use being a father as an excuse. Kinda miss my PES like a crackhead misses his fix, even ten+ years later. .. saw a spiderman game and it was like getting in a time machine. Graphics are ridiculously good now. Only thing I dont like is the fact most games look like a copy from a copy from a copy.

Unpopular opinion; grown men shouldn't play games....
 

Fantasmo

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I have a son who likes to play a lot of games. Should I limit him to playing too much?
 

tomdav

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I have a son who likes to play a lot of games. Should I limit him to playing too much?
Letting your son enjoy games is good, but setting limits is important for balance. Gaming can be fun and helpful for learning, but too much can affect health or school))
 

AmsterdamAssassin

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I have a son who likes to play a lot of games. Should I limit him to playing too much?
Yes and he should only consider games as recreational activities, or he'll start building his world around his virtual world. Gaming is highly addictive and people who are dissatisfied with life tend to 'escape' into the virtual world with the exclusion of everything else.
 

BaronOfHair

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The research into this subject is still pretty sparse, so much so that it's probably too early to declare anything with authority on the topic. That said, think about most of the self-deacribed gamers you know. Notice how diminished most(though certainly not all)of their cognitive abilities are. Note the state of their social lives, and the fact that most of them are stalled out in their careers

All assertions that video games are harmless fun beyond a certain age aren't looking especially credible
 
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