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Yes, all you gamers out there will never escape the certain doom of gaming and this shall spark the beginning of the downfall of civilization, or maybe not? Some people do think so and believe that gaming is as harmful as a disease. They believe that this so call ‘gaming disease’ will make us waste our precious time, money and effort. Even with proof from my recent article stating games are good for you is not even enough to convince them that gaming is not a disease. They will say that, what good are the few advantages of gaming compared to the massive destruction that is done by playing games. So today I shall put this ‘gaming disease’ under the microscope and diagnose it. Hopefully everything goes well else it will surely be a dark day for us gamers.

If you did miss out my previous article that I wrote, do give it a read.
Link: http://www.firingsquad.com/matrix/blog.asp/61800/60/Games_do_make_you_dummier_smarter

Symptom 1: I..just…can’t..stop…playing…
Lead to - addiction
Problem
This symptom will cause you to play games not stop for many hours and it gets worst especially when you encounter an outstanding game like World of Warcraft. When that happens, it’s going to be a sad day for your mouse as your hand just can’t stop touching it. You will spend countless hours playing it everyday and even if you don’t, your mind will still be thinking about it. This will certainly suck up every last second of your free time and in some cases jeopardize a person career. When this happens, you know that you are in the stage of addiction.

My Diagnostic Report
Well, there is no denying that great games are very addictive and the hours spent on it is just immeasurable. Still, I don’t see anything wrong about playing games extensively. It is just like falling in love. We think about that person constantly and spend as much time as possible to see each other. As long as you don’t neglect important activities like working or studying, then everything is fine. But if you do find yourself sacrificing those important activities for gaming, quickly turn to a little friend called ‘self discipline’; it should be able to cure this symptom.

Symptom 2: Please borrow me some money to buy games
Lead to – being broke
Problem
To play a game, you first need a computer or a console which costs quite a lot of money. The cheapest of them all is the Nintendo Wii and it costs around 250$. Some might argue that everyone owns a computer; therefore they can play every PC game available. But bear in mind that the system requirements of PC games increase every year and upgrading computer components is not cheap at all. Now for the major treat, games cost a lot of money. Currently, a single game costs an average of 60$ and most gamers have at least 40 to 50 games at their disposal. This can easily add up to thousand of dollars, just for a typical gamer to maintain his/her collection. If the gamer does not have the money to maintain this lifestyle, this will encourage gamer to borrow money and end up in big trouble.


My Diagnostic Report
Okay, I have to agree with this, gaming is a very expensive habit. I do find myself skipping a few meals and starve myself just to buy a brand new Company of Heroes. Furthermore, the next few months are really scary. The release dates of Hellgate: London, Crysis, Bioshock and Oblivion expansion are so near to each other. I’m seriously thinking of ways to get that amount of money just to buy all those great games. Still, if I really can’t afford it, I will never borrow money just to buy games. Because I believe no games is worth making me broke. I hope everyone feels the same way too, as this is the only way to battle this symptom.

Symptom 3: Wow, I never know killing people is so cool
Lead to – bad attitude
Problem
Some games are violent and they encourage violence to those who played them. Games like Grand Theft Auto allow a player to play the role of a gangster and reward them by performing violent acts. This is definitely a bad role model and children can easily be influenced by it as the main character is ‘cool’. There is also a case where a teenager shot innocent people because he got that great idea through playing Doom. All this happens because games inspire you to act cool and this leads to attitude problem.

My Diagnostic Report
This is definitely nonsense and games play little part in converting people into criminals. Regarding the shooting incident, that person is using Doom as a scapegoat to reduce his sentence. Surely a person that old is capable enough to understand what is right and wrong. The only reason why he can't define what is right is because he is retarded. As for the bad role model, we should be able to differentiate between fiction and reality. I admire Cloud from Final Fantasy 7, but you don’t see me swinging a bastard sword around. Also when are children allowed to play Grand Theft Auto? That being said, most games are based on good overcoming evil so it teaches more good than evil. As a result this symptom never exists.

Symptom 4: I will never leave my house
Lead to – Isolation from society
Problem
Most gamers will stick to their computer 24/7 and that sums up their whole life. They will never go mountain climbing, sports, or even meeting friends in the café. Real life experiences bear long lasting friendships and memories, videos games do not. The only pictures that come from video games are screenshots, and the memories that are created from playing those games are ultimately meaningless. Living means interacting, growing, learning, teaching, and loving — none of which can be accomplished in the virtual wasteland of video games.

My Diagnostic Report
The argument above is a bit harsh. Yes, we gamers spend a lot of time in front of our computer and yes, we seldom participate in any outdoor activities. But this does not mean we don’t have unforgettable memories or long lasting friendships. Nowadays with the help of the Internet, we can interact with a variety people. Completing a challenging quest together surely creates memories that we will forever treasure and joining guilds or clans will strengthen friendships, without a doubt. All this involves interacting, learning, teaching and loving and the only difference is that we communicate in a virtual dimension. But unfortunately, this problem will affect players that only play single player games. The only communication this players get is the game itself and that is about it. Surely this will put a severe dent to the player social life. I advice to this players is to get involve in more multiplayer games. That will definitely boost up their social life.

Conclusion
Looking at all the 4 symptoms, only symptom two is threatening. Symptom one is skeptical and the remaining 2 are complete nonsense. My conclusive opinions are expressed below:

Games can be addictive
It depends on the person. As long as there is self control, no harm will be done.

Games can be expensive
This is correct. New games are expensive, unless you plan to play older games and casual games, which will save you a lot.

Games can be a bad influence
I totally disagree with this argument. People are mature enough to understand the difference between what’s right and wrong.

Games can rob you of real life experiences
Yes, it is nice to go out and socialize, but we can do that in games as well. It is just another way to communicate with people. It only affects people that played single player games.

At the end of the day, games do have its weaknesses but it is not as severe as some might think. If we spend our time playing games at a reasonable proportion, games will never harm our life. Here is a poem to sums up everything.

Are games good or bad, a question that nobody knows,
Yet people debate endlessly, where opinions come and go,
Till this very day, the question we ponder grows,
And all this goes by, where the river of time flows,

Forget all those unwanted judgment, for it will drag you into a maze,
Play to your heart content; let your soul be amazed,
For gaming I trust, shall always have my phrase,
So long as we practice moderation, life shall not be a waste.