Are we at risk? Those that spend too much time gaming!

[SparkyMaddie]

Xbox addict 'dies from blood clot' - Video Games Blog Plugged In - Yahoo! Games

I think I have spent 7 hours in front of a screen when I was like 12 getting into Lara Croft games. Reading this puts things into perspective about sitting too long...tv or computer gaming or anything else where we aren't moving. This is sad.

 

[bsd31]

7, 10, 12, or even 20 hours in front of the computer/game console every now and then isn't going to cause this to happen for most people. This guy regularly spent 12 hours a day playing video games. It was a life style choice that led to his death. My guess is that this went on for the past several years, pretty much day after day.

 

[The-Doctor]

I know this is a growing problem, there was a study in Scotland about gaming and why people play video games the answer being it allowed them to be someone else or to explore other roles while taking a break from their own mundane life. I can see why people get addicted. IN china the problem of people getting addicted to online gaming is so big there are specialist clinics to treat addicts. I ahve heard of a few deaths of excessive gamers.

 

[CyberPaladin]

Nope all I see is acouple of parents trying to create meaning in there son's death through by creating awareness of a problem that is far more rampant in pop culture and people's imagination then exists.
Also there are so many more dangerous things out there then video games like sports I just saw a CNN today 4 high school students have died from the heat because of football pratice this year alone.

 

[Tuddrussell]

Seems to me that it's more an argument against chairs, and sitting than gaming. Any real gamer knows to take breaks every now and then, proper pacing is key to endurance gaming.

I have a system in place:

Stretching every three hours, set eating and drinking times, daily exercises, and what have you.

Though in my case it's essential because I do pretty much everything in my bedroom. Work, sleep, eat, drink, cook, play... The only things I don't do in here is shop, and go to the bathroom.

Comes with the territory, being a paranoid shut in and all.

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

Living in a fallen world, everything then is inherently a risk. You take a risk sitting in a chair and hope it doesn't break. You are really asking how much time does it take to cause harm. If the object in which you are watching does not cause harm, then even quantity of time itself is irrelevant.

So, what is the problem?
CONTENT

As a kid, I watched countless hours of cartoons. Today, I can only remember watching Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, & Popey. The content was safe, so there was no inherent danger in watching countless hours wasting my precious time. Like using the TV to watch "Sesame Street" or x rated adult movies...its the Content that does harm. Using the monitor to play "Pac Man" or "Postal" (banned in 13 countries)...its the Content that does harm. OK, now how is the content causing harm? Well that will have to be another post.

 

[TemperateSeaIsland]

Sitting still is the problem, this is something I've been mindful of since I developed a DVT and then suffered a PE a few years ago.

 

[Save_Me_From_Myself]

I've been playing games since i was 5 years old, and I've been heavily addicted since. It's a good addiction though, IMO. Video Games are my "muse"...they are how I relax after a long day at work and they help me escape and forget about my problems.

As for length of time, I used to play 8-9 hours at a time sometimes (not often). Usually now a days I can go about 3-4 tops before I just have to take a break. That and I'm busier then I used to be with a family etc.

Overall, I think video games get a bad rap because of the few problems that some kids how out of it. For every 1 "horror story" of a kid dying, there are 20 good stories to go a long with it. Video Games aren't the death of america...bad parenting is LOL

 

[Mizuti]

Just like most other things, gaming should be done in moderation. Play for an hour or two, then get up and stretch or take a walk. If parents are worried about the social well-being of their children or teens, there are games that can be played with other people and can sometimes be a great ministry experience.

While playing a game for 12 hours once probably isn't going to kill you, it's not something that should be done all the time. People need to realise that common sense should be used and that making universal statements based on one experience isn't a smart idea. It would be like saying "Annie died from choking on an apple. Therefore, all apples are bad and nobody should be allowed to eat them".

But really, addiction to just about ANYTHING is bad. Whether it's wine or gaming or drugs or exercise... all of those things can be good in moderation (in the case of drugs, prescription medicine to treat a medical need), but it's the excess that is so harmful.

 

[thesunisout]

Xbox addict 'dies from blood clot' - Video Games Blog Plugged In - Yahoo! Games

I think I have spent 7 hours in front of a screen when I was like 12 getting into Lara Croft games. Reading this puts things into perspective about sitting too long...tv or computer gaming or anything else where we aren't moving. This is sad.

The sad thing for Christians is to waste our lives playing pretend in front of a screen when we live in a lost and dying world where people are going to hell every single day. Jesus commanded us to preach the gospel and to live a holy and sanctified life. He commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to give our time to the poor, and to be an example to others, to show the glory of God by being a light to the world.. You can't do any of that sitting in front of a screen. It's fine to play every now and then, but God expects us to do a lot more than sit on our behinds; He expects us to obey Him and to get out in the world and preach to the lost. To have compassion for them. It's helpful to remember that not only are we are going to be judged for what we did, but also for what we didn't do.

 

[Tuddrussell]

Jesus commanded us to preach the gospel and to live a holy and sanctified life. He commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to give our time to the poor, and to be an example to others, to show the glory of God by being a light to the world.. You can't do any of that sitting in front of a screen.

Maybe YOU can't. (I'm mocking you by the way, because you typed this all while in front of a screen.)

 

[thesunisout]

Maybe YOU can't. (I'm mocking you by the way, because you typed this all while in front of a screen.)

You're mocking me because you don't know God. It's fine to use a computer, especially to reach the lost, but it isn't fine to waste your life playing games when God has called you to go out into the world and preach the gospel.

 

[SonOfTheWest]

I can drop a lot of time into playing Skyrim. But between things like cleaning the kitchen, making dinner,etc I couldn't overspend my time with it even if I wanted to. Add in headachs if I sit in front of a tv too long,etc and I have to say I am glad for not having an addictive personality because that is really the issue, not the medium the addiction takes hold of.

 

[Tuddrussell]

You're mocking me because you don't know God. It's fine to use a computer, especially to reach the lost, but it isn't fine to waste your life playing games when God has called you to go out into the world and preach the gospel.

...God called atheists to spread the gospel? That's the first I've heard of this.

I assume you have a job, why are you wasting your life doing that?