The Good and the Bad of Gaming

The Good of Video Games

When we talk about gaming, what is the first thing that comes up to your mind? Maybe perhaps e-sports, or really popular games such as Valorant, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Whatever the game, there is the good side and the bad side of these games, and it isn’t limited to only multiplayer games, even single player games have their own sides as well, let’s go over what these are and how they affect you.

Different genre of games and platforms have their own benefits, ranging from increasing your mental to physical fitness. Games that increase your mental abilities include genres such as First-Person Shooters (FPS), Real Time Strategy (RTS), Survival Games, and even Rhythm Games. These increases some of your skills such as:

Problem Solving
Risk Taking
Patience
Reaction Time
Concentration
Leadership
Critical Thinking
Multi-Tasking

I recommend games like Apex Legends, Escape from Tarkov, Squad, War Thunder, Elden Ring, and Ready or Not that involves taking risks, your reaction and planning for unexpected situations, your leadership skills when leading a team, and even patience and waiting for opportunities that will work to your advantage. Other games such as Terraria, Minecraft, and Project Zomboid tests your skills to survive in harsh conditions, problem solving, and multi-tasking depending on different situations.

When we talk about games that affect your physical fitness, we are talking about Virtual Reality (VR) Games, requiring you to move your body to move around the virtual space, not all VR games require you to stand up though, some can also be played whilst sitting down.

Some games that I recommend is Pavlov VR if you like a Counter-Strike game but in VR, Half Life: Alyx, Elite Dangerous, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, and Beat Saber. If you’re just looking for a game where you can hang around with friends and maybe play around with some custom minigames, then VRChat and Rec Room are the best choices for you. Ring Fit Adventure is not a VR game but it does require you to move your body around and is great if you are looking to lose weight or build up muscles.

The Bad of Video Games

Just like with most things, there is always a bad side to anything. One of the most common things that can happen when playing video games is getting addicted to them, prolonged exposure to a screen can damage your eyesight and not taking breaks in between affects not only your physical health but mental health as well. When we experience losing in game or dying to a hard boss, we tend to lash out and blame either the game or ourselves because of the outcome, and some even take to the extreme and start destroying property. Just like with most things, moderation is key, try to take breaks in between sessions, maybe go outside for a bit and have some fresh air and come back when you’re ready for some more action. It’s natural to lose or die in a game, many gamers experience this many times, some more than others, knowing how to control yourself is the best way to prevent damaging yourself and property and leads to a better gaming experience.

An example of a bad thing with VR is fatigue, take the game Project Wingman for example, when played in VR, you are required to move your head around to look around your cockpit, you’ll do this much more during intense dogfights against bosses as you tend to fly past each other multiple times after trading blows. This can strain your neck over long periods of time and after your gaming session, it’ll still hurt. Beat Saber makes use of your arms and body as you have to slice boxes in a certain direction to the rhythm and dodge blocks that come your way. Overtime it’ll take toll on your arms and legs and you’ll start feeling weak, always take a break when you feel worn out and always remember to hydrate yourself.

The Joy of Video Games

Video Games are a source of entertainment for many people across the world, some take it more seriously than others. Video Games exists for you to have fun, get scared, cry over, get angry over and many more other emotions you can show. They are an interactive medium for you to explore historical or fictional settings made by people with mission. Always remember that video games takes you out of reality for awhile and let’s you experience another world separate from our own, and while they can be addicting, remember that you have your physical body and mental health to take care of.

Source: By: Miguel Joshua Pridas