Debate time: Is video gaming health?

[Legacy]

Ok, this is not so much about whether or not video gaming is good for your physical health, but rather for social health. I know people who are more happy to play video games all day, then to go out to a party or just plain go out with friends. To me video gaming seems like a unhealthy obsession. What do you think?

*By the way, please respect others opinions. Exchanging words and ideas do not need to be hostile, so do not attack people for having opinions. Just debate it lol*

[corocoro]

It's the same as with most things: in moderation it is healthy (they can decrease stress, increase acuteness, endorphins are released while gaming (and those have a very positive effect on your health), games can be used for learning (though nearly no one does)), etc), but once you overdo things and become obsessive, it starts being unhealthy.
So, in small doses it makes you more social (or at least puts you in a better mood, which is good for socializing) and in too large doses - well, it takes you out of society completely, which isn't always a bad thing.

[samyeung46]

Hmm there are differing levels of gaming and if they can deal with school, friends, gaming, and whatever else life throws at them then i think theyre fine :/ My parents were very anti gaming and still are but i ignore them for the most part now... Anyhow them being so against gaming made it a precious luxury so whenever i could i would get quite crazy with gaming ignoring whatever else which probably made it unhealthy for me. Now that i can game all day i dont because its not nearly as precious a commodity as it used to be (and i discovered the joy of anime). I guess i would say people should game in moderation. Unless they strike it rich, gaming really shouldnt be too high on the priority list. As for how gaming effects social health i would say that depends who you hang out with. If your friends are gamers too then it might just create stronger bonds with little negative effects. If you spend all you time gaming and have little to no social life then thats a problem... or so society which is built up by all those charismatic guys who know tons of people and have influence would say. I say its mostly bs unless youre trying to be like them. Its about a person's personality and preference. Some people are fine with a small group of friends and some are fine with more. I suppose having no one to rely on whatsoever is a problem but if someone says that theyre fine with it then who am i to say otherwise. Their circumstances may actually allow them to be fine without.

[orisa]

coro pretty much said what I wanted to say.

Gaming is same as smoking or drinking; you know it's not healthy but you do it for fun. You do it because it relieves you of your stress. But like all good things in this world, too much of it can have negative effects. Even as a learning tool--you use it too much to learn and you get more and more narrow minded in your thought process. Want to learn more? Read a book. Talk to people. Expand your views.

Certain someone that I will not mention (although people will still know who I'm talking about) who is addicted to eroge thinks real life is just like what he sees on screen--what's wrong with this picture? Though luckily for him it's apparently actually helping him. Other people wouldn't be so lucky.

[Legacy]

Great responses so far Debates really bring more out of people then a few words in a post ^^

On topic:

I agree with you guys, but to be devils advocate you can say that games are designed to played without moderation. The developers want you to be addicted and play as much as you can because then the likely hood of you buying their other merchandise is higher. Is it right for these developers and publishers to do this? Is it just good business, but where you do cross the line with harming society for economic gains? Many are obviously not able to control themselves and moderate their playing, but who then should help them? Obesity is on the rise!

[samyeung46]

I thought this wasnt about physical health :p Hmm wii fit probably doesnt actually help much in this matter. Physical health is more of the gamer's responsibility and whoever cares about him/her should also go bother him/her if theyre not being healthy. It doesnt actually take that long to stay fit to some extent... Obesity is not only caused by gaming although gaming may contribute to it. On a side note wouldnt addictive games be more fun although i suppose addictive and fun are different matters.

[Will98]

Video games, (in my opinion) are neutral. You decide wether or not they are beneficial or harmful.

As Corocoro has posted above, video games can be very good for you. I also know that it is proven that video games promote better hand-eye coordination, which is a very big pay off for people studying to be doctors. Or something in the medical field...

Video games, just like being good, can be very bad. Playing games for too many hours a week, (I'm a bad example, so I shouldn't be saying this) can be fairly hurtful to someone in the long run.
Decreased vision, carpal syndrome, muscle degeneration, etc.

[orisa]

I agree with you guys, but to be devils advocate you can say that games are designed to played without moderation. The developers want you to be addicted and play as much as you can because then the likely hood of you buying their other merchandise is higher. Is it right for these developers and publishers to do this? Is it just good business, but where you do cross the line with harming society for economic gains? Many are obviously not able to control themselves and moderate their playing, but who then should help them? Obesity is on the rise!

Nobody should and can help them...only they can control their addiction. In this sense developers are in no way responsible for the rising obesity or any other problems related to obsessive gaming. They do not force their gamers to play non stop, in fact they advise you to take breaks inbetween hours. So in a legal sense they are squeaky clean and are in good business standings.

Not being able to control their addiction is a silly excuse. Of course they can control their addiction, it's their body. It's a convenient excuse and escape route to NOT put a stop to their addiction. Get another hobby. Ask someone else to punch you in the face for touching your addiction...there are many ways to "control" yourself but no, people just don't want to and keep looking for excuses. They only have themselves to blame on for their addiction problems, nobody else. They lack discipline.

I also know that it is proven that video games promote better hand-eye coordination, which is a very big pay off for people studying to be doctors. Or something in the medical field...

You can train your hand-eye coordination in sports. Or even some board games. There's no guarantee that you'd be playing games just to train your hands and eyes, and getting addicted while studying to be someone important like a doctor kinda defeats the purpose of training their senses to achieve their professions, I'd say. It's a double edged sword.

[kactaplb]

For me, games aren't intrinsically bad for your health, but this doesn't mean they are good for you either. Any value gained from gaming can be done in the real life counterpart with better benefits. Even though gaming is a fairly new phenomenon, there's a reason why all the rich, elite, and the truly respected don't play. Games can only used as a stepping stone and nothing more.

but of course it all depends on the kind of life you wish to lead. to each his own.

[Lavo]

For me games led me to meed people that share similar interests, and eventually, anime/music. I was somewhat driven/drawn to them early on as a child due to a lack of many "real life" friends. Are they bad for my social health? Probably. But that doesn't mean too much when I don't have much of a social life to begin with.