One Christmas I brought my son a video game system for Christmas. I had the Christmas week off so I started to play the game ‘Super Mario’.
I found out that I am a bit of a perfectionist who doesn’t like to leave things unfinished. That Christmas became a challenge to beat the game. I ended up playing until the wee hours of the night for days on end. It took me around 9 days, but I finally beat the game. I worked through all the levels and all the challenges until I had mastered the game.
I had discovered how addictive video games can be. I had discovered how to totally waste a week of my life.
At the end of that experience I gave up video games. I have never played since. I still play word games on my phone when I’ve got a few extra minutes but I’ve decided not to waste my time with non-educational games. Most video games are very addictive and life is too short to spend wasting time on something that accomplishes nothing.
So my advice is.. don’t start.
The warning signs of video game addiction include:
- Gaming to escape difficult life situations
- Playing for longer periods as time goes on
- Skipping showers and meals to play
- Poor performance at work or school
- Lying to others to hide gaming activities
- Exhibiting signs of irritation when forced to stop gaming
Some experts say 10 to 15 percent of all people who use the Internet or play video games are addicted to them. If you or your kids fall into that category, here’s a website to give you more info and a treatment program. Life is too short to waste in front of a video game.
http://www.video-game-addiction.org/
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