Gamers! Video game people! You like spending time behind your TV or the monitors of your PCs? I can’t blame you. I love being behind my Nintendo’s screen or my laptop’s screen all day, but my eyes start getting itchy after a while because I was looking at pixels for a long period of time. You might hear this often, but this is a serious matter. Even if you do your morning workout routine where you go for a 3-mile walk, starring at pixels for hours after isn’t healthy. There are good things about video games and bad; all leading to consequences. Listen up because these are some facts that will help you have a happier and healthier video game experience.

Video games help calm you down if you are stressing about something. They also teach more combat skills to protect yourself. Although, a long period of time for playing video games is bad because it could strain your eyes and lead to some temporary to permanent eye problems/damage(s). A few minutes though just to get your mind off of something is okay. If you get your work done, all will be fine. 

Negative Effects of Video Games: 

Although video games can be a nice release from a stressful day, it is important to place limitations on them.  For example, my friend Ralfi Diaz is an avid gamer and he said, “Sleeping problems because you stay up late in which it ruins your state of communication.”   Diaz continued to discuss the pitfalls of video games leading to loneliness, he said, “Social problems because you are behind a screen all day.”

Diaz is not the only gamer that realizes how video games can be troubling.  In a study completed by the American Psychological Association, it was found that people who play video games are sometimes driven to ‘aggressive behavior and loneliness.’

Positive Effects of Video Games: 

Once you have learned to place limitations on gaming, there are advantages of gaming to your health.  Diaz continued to state the positive effects of video games. He said, “You get to hang out with friends that normally you don’t get to hang out with at other places.” He also stated, “When stressed, completing tasks in the game that you have been trying to accomplish for a while will calm you down because you are focused on something else that isn’t the thing stressing you out.” He also feels that “it also mentally makes you think better, causing you to worry less and carry on.” 

Not only do video games de-stress, but they also help with visual contact and hand-eye coordination. For example, action gamers have been proven to consistently track moving objects in a field better than non-gamers. This shows that gaming gives you more intelligence than not gaming at all. Playing a little Minecraft or Fortnite a day will help you advance in your technique in realizing what happens around you than not doing anything at all. 

What Can We Do To Game Safely? 

Safety is a major precaution when playing games. Diaz lastly stated, “For safety reasons, annoying people who bother others in a game should be banned from the game so those who get mad easily don’t get mad as easily.”  He also mentioned that “around three hours of gaming will do well, too, because it won’t strain your eyes badly and will take your mind off of stress, whereas more than three hours such as five is way too much for the opposite reason of why playing for only three hours.” 

A big safety concern of people is their safety in the game. It’s a big “make-sure” to people that they maintain their safety in games and to not become addicted to the game. That’s why people say to not play and pay a ton of attention to a game. It can damage your brain and make you think crazy, causing you to harm others in a way you do not realize. Studies also show that those games with guns in them or any other shooter game lead to violence, which can get you in trouble or continues you to hurting others mentally and physically without even knowing. That’s why you should play responsibly and choose wisely on what you play. 

Now video games have their goods and bads, and choosing whether you want to play healthy or play unhealthy is your choice. Hopefully, you see the reason why you should be smart about your health choices and screen time choices.