Video Game Addiction and Good Uses of Time

Gaming Addiction

There has been a lot of news about The World Health Organization's classification of excessive video gaming being an addiction or disorder.  Some of the links that I provide also give responses to the studies, saying that it is premature or that the research done on the subject is poor, so I am hesitant to believe the studies.  My goal here, however, is not to argue for or against the studies, but to talk about the thoughts this kind of study brought up in my mind when I heard about it.  Namely, I want to talk about video games and wise use of our time.  I will do this by talking about my own experience playing games.  This is mostly a personal story, but I hope it will be helpful to readers as well.

Time Well Spent

Here's a picture from my Steam account

This is showing the total number of hours that I have put into this game.  739 hours is roughly equivalent to a month of my life spent playing this game.  This doesn't necessarily mean that the World Health Organization's criteria for what count as video game addiction apply to me.  I do not neglect work or friendships because of video games, I do not spend several hours a day playing video games, and I have not experienced "withdrawal symptoms" when I get off of them.  These 739 hours are also spread out over a two or two and a half year span of time.

Despite this, I think it is clear that playing this game was not the best use of all of those 739 hours.  I can't help but imagine how I could have spent all of that time.  Imagine the kind of skill or strength I could have developed if I had spent 739 hours practicing something or exercising.  Imagine the expertise I could have in an academic subject if I would have spent those 739 hours reading and studying that subject.  Imagine the kind of job I could have if some of that time went to working towards a career.  There are things I could have done that wouldn't have just been beneficial or edifying for me, but also helpful for others as well.  Studying a particular subject can help make me a better apologist, making me more able to bless others by teaching.  I also could have spent a lot of that time volunteering for a charitable organization that helps people.  When I think back at the time I spent playing this game, I can't help but wonder what might be true of me now if I didn't use all of that time playing this game.

This doesn't mean that I think it is always bad to play video games.  There is nothing necessarily immoral about entertainment.  Video games also don't strike me as any more of a time waster than binge watching a T.V. show or spending a Saturday on a Lord of the Rings or Marvel movie marathon.  Despite this, I think a guy like me can learn how to exercise more wisdom in how he uses his time.

I strongly suspect that what is true of me is also true of others.  What do you think?  Do you feel the same as I do, or are you better at balancing entertainment with more productive uses of time?

Things I Like: Part 1

In this series, I will recommend things that I happened to come across that I like.  That's about as simple as it gets.  While this sounds frivolous, I will focus on recommending things that I think will be informative and edifying to people.

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

Leah Remini is an actress that you may recognize in shows like King of Queens and others.  She was a long-time scientologist, but left the religion several years ago.  In this docuseries on Hulu, she interviews many people who have left scientology, exposing the abuses of the church and the controlling nature of the beliefs and structure of the church.  It is also an interesting look at the practices of scientology and how cults work.

Social Justice in Video Games

Troy Leavitt, a former video game developer, has an interesting series responding to a controversial feminist in video game culture named Anita Sarkeesian.  He has a series of videos responding to her claims that there is rampant sexism in the video game industry and criticizing the worldview and premises she holds that lead her to make the claims she makes.  Part one of his series can be found here.

Philip DeFranco

Philip DeFranco is a Youtuber who releases new 15-18 minute videos every weekday giving the news.  He covers anything from news regarding Youtube and youtubers to important world events and world politics.  He is a very fair and balanced person, he makes it known when he is giving the facts and when he is giving his opinion and he is often quick to correct himself if he makes a mistake.  I recommend him as an alternative news source.

I like these things and I hope you do too.  God bless.