Is gaming good for you?

Is gaming good for you?
Do you feel gaming is good for you? What pros and cons do you see?

I personally like online gaming as it allows me to make friends and play with the friends I already have. It also tends to be a good stress reliever when playing offline (playing online and losing can be stressful)

It does keep me inside more, but I do enough that it is not really a bother to my overall time

How about everyone else?

Gaming is good for you.... in a certain quantity.

It provides a relief and excitement you need... but too much of it damages your eyes and brain.

I think in moderation, yes, it is good for you. I've actually learned a bit from playing games like Pokemon.

I saw an article in Monday's issue of the Toronto Sun that fast-paced games can improve various aspects of a person, including driving and multi-tasking. This was a study done at the University of Rochester.

Chaos_Overlord wrote:I saw an article in Monday's issue of the Toronto Sun that fast-paced games can improve various aspects of a person, including driving and multi-tasking. This was a study done at the University of Rochester.

Tell that to Jack Thompson.

Aside from the usual hand-eye coordination and critical thinking, gaming also awakens my imagination and inspires a lot of the stories that I write. Like great works of fiction, games have an immersive quality that takes the player on fantastic adventures with emotional engagements and catharsis.

Something I learned about the pitfalls of excessive gaming: don't ever sit too close to the screen, especially in a room with the only light being the glow of the screen. Turn on a lamp, for goodness sake.

Chaos_Overlord wrote:I saw an article in Monday's issue of the Toronto Sun that fast-paced games can improve various aspects of a person, including driving and multi-tasking. This was a study done at the University of Rochester.

True. NFS Undercover and other NFS games give you a good idea of what driving is like.

In moderation - sure, why not?

I mean:
- Social lubricant.
- Relief and relaxation.
- Hand eye co-ordination.

It can be a winner, for sure.

It's got its good sides and down sides. I don't play video games as much as I use to now-a-days.

TurboAce360 wrote:It's got its good sides and down sides. I don't play video games as much as I use to now-a-days.

Me too. I'm nowadays too busy with A levels and stuff.

Sweet Mercy wrote:

Chaos_Overlord wrote:I saw an article in Monday's issue of the Toronto Sun that fast-paced games can improve various aspects of a person, including driving and multi-tasking. This was a study done at the University of Rochester.

True. NFS Undercover and other NFS games give you a good idea of what driving is like.

Not really, especially regarding Undercover. All of the NFS games are arcade racers, meaning none of the racing/driving techniques it teaches you would be helpful in real life. Forza (2 & 3) and GT would transition a little better, but they still have some large differences between them and real life(especially in terms of racing since there aren't flags). The best racing games in terms of learning actual driving and racing would be rFactor, most of the SimBin racing games, and Live for Speed all on the PC. Richard Burns Rally is also extremely realistic, but it's rally only as the title would have you guess. This is especially true if you go all out and get a steering wheel with a high degree of rotation, (adjustable) H pattern gear shifter and floppy paddles, and pedals with realistic resistance and clutch pedal.

All of those require a good gaming PC and expensive controllers to get the best effect though. Arcade racers and semi-sim racers probably still help driving because they increase your hand-eye coordination and reaction times, but they don't give you skills that directly transition to driving skills.

Super Racer Z wrote:

Sweet Mercy wrote:

True. NFS Undercover and other NFS games give you a good idea of what driving is like.

Not really, especially regarding Undercover. All of the NFS games are arcade racers, meaning none of the racing/driving techniques it teaches you would be helpful in real life. Forza (2 & 3) and GT would transition a little better, but they still have some large differences between them and real life(especially in terms of racing since there aren't flags). The best racing games in terms of learning actual driving and racing would be rFactor, most of the SimBin racing games, and Live for Speed all on the PC. Richard Burns Rally is also extremely realistic, but it's rally only as the title would have you guess. This is especially true if you go all out and get a steering wheel with a high degree of rotation, (adjustable) H pattern gear shifter and floppy paddles, and pedals with realistic resistance and clutch pedal.

All of those require a good gaming PC and expensive controllers to get the best effect though. Arcade racers and semi-sim racers probably still help driving because they increase your hand-eye coordination and reaction times, but they don't give you skills that directly transition to driving skills.

Yeah, but they all take place in the City; it's not on a track, and it gives you an idea of what it's like to drive in the City, as in having a large, open-ended environment.

Sweet Mercy wrote:

Super Racer Z wrote:

Not really, especially regarding Undercover. All of the NFS games are arcade racers, meaning none of the racing/driving techniques it teaches you would be helpful in real life. Forza (2 & 3) and GT would transition a little better, but they still have some large differences between them and real life(especially in terms of racing since there aren't flags). The best racing games in terms of learning actual driving and racing would be rFactor, most of the SimBin racing games, and Live for Speed all on the PC. Richard Burns Rally is also extremely realistic, but it's rally only as the title would have you guess. This is especially true if you go all out and get a steering wheel with a high degree of rotation, (adjustable) H pattern gear shifter and floppy paddles, and pedals with realistic resistance and clutch pedal.

All of those require a good gaming PC and expensive controllers to get the best effect though. Arcade racers and semi-sim racers probably still help driving because they increase your hand-eye coordination and reaction times, but they don't give you skills that directly transition to driving skills.

Yeah, but they all take place in the City; it's not on a track, and it gives you an idea of what it's like to drive in the City, as in having a large, open-ended environment.

I don't see how that helps much when the cars don't handle realistically, the law is enforced unrealistically, crashes don't do much, and depending on the game, the traffic lights and traffic signs don't even behave realistically at times.

Super Racer Z wrote:

Sweet Mercy wrote:

Yeah, but they all take place in the City; it's not on a track, and it gives you an idea of what it's like to drive in the City, as in having a large, open-ended environment.

I don't see how that helps much when the cars don't handle realistically, the law is enforced unrealistically, crashes don't do much, and depending on the game, the traffic lights and traffic signs don't even behave realistically at times.

OK, they could work on those things. I think the next NFS games will be more realistic in those things. Even so, it's better than Forza for showing you how driving is in real life (although Forza 2 does have realistic handling), because it takes place in the city. I mean, you're not going to drive on a track in real life all the time, are you?

Without games I'd resort to crime.

Video games are good for you - it helps you to concentrate (as you can't play games without concentration). I have been playing video games since I was three years old. . . including violent ones like Resident Evil when I was about seven/eight, and I don't go around killing people.

Zez wrote:Without games I'd resort to crime.

Good thing is, there are games out there that let you do crimes.

Zez wrote:Without games I'd resort to crime.

I thought I was the only one.