FROM an article at Tradition, Family and Property:

It could be argued that video gaming is simply a pastime, a way to combat boredom.  But what is the point of engaging in a pastime that has no palpable goal, no real accomplishment and no deeper meaning?   Since the purpose of gaming is undefined, players often find themselves compelled to play more and more.

According to the Boy Genius Report, “there are currently over 34 million core gamers in the United States, and they are playing video games for an average of 22 hours every week.”2

Twenty-two hours a week is roughly equivalent to a part time job.  Is that time well spent?

Drug-Like Effects that Rewire the Brain

According to a study featured in Neurology Now, a publication of the American Academy of Neurology, nine out of ten American children play video games — about 64 million. The study found that “excessive gaming before age 21 or 22 can physically rewire the brain.”

“‘Playing video games floods the pleasure center of the brain with dopamine,’ says David Greenfield, Ph.D., founder of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. That gives gamers a rush—but only temporarily, he explains. With all that extra dopamine lurking around, the brain gets the message to produce less of this critical neurotransmitter. The end result: players can end up with a diminished supply of dopamine.”3

For the welfare of children, South Korea has regulated the use of video games, treating them like drugs or controlled substances.  Like drugs, video games provide instant gratification.  When one resorts to them over and over again, dependency similar to a heroin addiction is created.

[…]

Video gaming is a problem that stems from a deep cause. In his brilliant book, Return to Order, John Horvat II observes how our culture has lost its appetite for the marvelous and sacred.  Man once had a vision of God that permeated society and influenced every field of life.  In today’s world, however, this higher vision has almost completely disappeared.

Mr. Horvat speaks of acedia, a “weariness for holy and spiritual things and a subsequent sadness of living.” “Despite huge opportunities for entertainment, pleasure, and excitement, happiness eludes us. This is all the more incomprehensible since the unhappiness persists even among those surrounded by riches, consumer goods, technological progress, or good health.”20

Video games do not satisfy the yearning of the soul for a life of meaning and purpose, but instead simply feed the fire of acedia. Isn’t it time to put the controller down? Why pretend to be a fake hero on a screen when you can admire real heroes and strive to become one yourself? Why play with a controller when you can prove yourself in reality? Acedia needs to be fought and overcome.  Only then will we have a true sense of accomplishment and joy — a sense of true happiness that no video game console can ever give.

— Comments —

Douglas writes:

I remember when this was starting out in the early 90s. I made the comment to my wife that this was a passing fad and silly.

By the way, I play video games driving and flying simulators. I would never think of paying real money to buy an imaginary paint job.

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