What really irks me about these scientific studies that try and prove that video games are good for people is that they are pointless. Citing these studies is similar to reading the nutrition labels on a package of Oreo's. They do nothing to validate your reasoning for playing video games.
Video games are more or less an indulgence. They're a lot of fun, and you can lose yourself in them. We exist in a culture where "bingewatch" has been added to the dictionary. People are very indulgent and do things that they please, just because. Sure, it isn't very healthy to sit in front of a television for hours at a time, but it isn't that uncommon.
I don't quite understand why we have to keep on conducting and releasing new studies that have some new statistic about how video games can improve cognitive activity in the human brain. That's all well and good, but there is much more to a game than its gameplay and interactivity. Games have other elements that are essential to complete the experience for the player. Story, art, music, characters, and many other elements that combine to create the total aesthetic of the game. What kind of game would The Last of Us be if it was just about its gameplay? If Joel would go through each scenario without story or purpose?
I know that I am not approaching this from a wrong angle. However, video games are the things that are still trying to be validated, so that others don't criticize gamers quite as harshly. It's why I write my blog. There is so much more to video games than people let on. Perhaps there is a communication barrier, and to others video games seem like a waste of time. Video games are not a waste of time, and they are not bad for you. As Shigeru Miyamoto said, "Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock& roll."
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