I don’t believe video games, per se, lead to more violent (or lazy) behavior.
However, they can make us lose touch with life, a basic understanding of what life is all about:
Instead of leveling up our own lives, we level up our character, or team, or squad — with more advanced gadgets, better players or team members, and other attributes…
…Instead of doing it in real life.
I was caught in this matrix until mid-2014.
I kept on playing video games, no matter what.
Don’t get me wrong.
I never quit video games. While still playing video games; I turned my social life around. And I’m not sure if I’ll ever stop playing video games.
However:
I don’t play video games daily, anymore. And I don’t play ’em competitively, anymore. Sure, I still want to win… whether I play video games or anything else. But I don’t feel the pain for days after losing in a game, or being stuck at a certain level. Why?
Because it’s all fictional.
No real stacks.
And, more important, you don’t build anything substantial (or of value long-term).
All you do is indulging in short-term pleasure having dopamine spikes.
It’s not your football team that you lead to triumph… it’s a freaking fantasy! (And that’s OK, as long as you can distinguish between reality and fantasy.)
Level up in real life.
- Improve your health
- Improve your finances
- Make new friends, and deepen existing friendships and relationship(s)
- etc.
Yes, these things are scary.
Yes, you will fall on your face and get rejected.
Yes, it isn’t easy.
But isn’t that better than living in a dream world, that turns into a neverending nightmare…
…Once you turn off the Playstation?
Or Xbox?
Or Nintendo?
Or PC?
P. S. Playing sports in real life was almost always more fulfilling than sitting alone (or with friends) in front of a TV. Just my two cents.
