F27 said...
Disagreed Turtle. Gaming is a healthy diversion for many. There's a social aspect to many games that allow people to connect to peers across the world. The stereotype of a gamer as a basement-dwelling recluse is exactly that, a stereotype. Gamers come from all walks of life, just like those of us who are afflicted with depression.
Spot on.
Gaming, like almost any other activity you care to name, is only bad for you if taken to extremes. I have a soft spot for video games and think I will always have at least one game on the go. (For a long time it's been Geometry Dash. Don't laugh; it's really good, especially with the new 2.1 update <_<.) I look back with affection on video game odyssies such as Final Fantasy VII, Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Devil May Cry, and wish I could play these games for the first time again.
I even was admin of a particular games forum for a few years. The guys (there were a few girls, but it was mostly guys) were a pretty intelligent and diverse bunch overall. Most were in higher education and one was doing a PhD in Maths. But they were very into their videogames as well. They would make awesome combo videos, which took more creativity and skill than I could muster up (to be fair I was suffering badly from Crohn's at the time; that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it >.>) The girls tended more towards creating artwork and fanfic around their favourite characters.
This is a long-winded way of saying that videogaming can be a fun, creative and relaxing hobby. I don't think we should really be judging people for playing games or watching TV to be honest; if you'd rather not do those things, all power to you. But please don't make judgements about
TV or videogames turning people into mindless zombies - I personally think our media and education has a lot more to answer for on that front, but that's another story.