Bad or good? Do they make you dumb or do they promote other types of thinking? Do MMO's (which have an economy) promote economic thought? Is it possible to be addicted and have a girlfriend/social life?

We're under that stereotype that people who are addicted to such games become those without a social life. Most of the time, that's actually true, but maybe only in the case of major addiction. On the other hand, video games now and then isn't going to have a substantial effect on the rest of your future - if you know how to limit yourself. It's the exact same idea with television, computers, heck, nearly all types of technology. It's just a matter of self control, and how well you're able to balance between the e-world and the rest of your life.

I play World of Warcraft. That game is incredibly addicting.

Good! If it wasn't for video games I would have to work in the food industry, which is not happening. And I think people can be addicted and have girlfriends or social lives, they just have to know when enough is enough. My boyfriend plays video games and he always makes time for me. Although if your addicted to WOW, you may have a problem.

ive been playing gta san andreas alot lately and its affecting my driving skills in a bad way lol

I think that video games are good, because it gives you a chance to just relax, and to live in some sort of a fantasy world. When I play the games, I almost feel as if I am actually in the game.

I actually wrote a paper about this in class. I'll come back later with a long one.

Moderation, imo.

Yep I've played Midnight Club 3, and Burnout: Revenge alot, and that's giving me a bit trouble learning to drive. But I think video games are good.

As long as you know how to balance it with everything (work, school, boy/girl/regular friends, and family etc etc), I think it's pretty good. My boyfriend plays WoW as well he use to be realllllllly addicted to it, right now that he has me and a job it's hard to balance but he still has times where he can play (when still up for it).

Words of wisdom.

My son (who many of you know has autism) didn't do hardly anything nor did he seem interested in anything. He did somewhat show interest in a game that was on my cell phone at the time, so I decided to bust out the old Nintendo (we're talking OLD). He really enjoyed it (he was about three at the time). So I purchased him an Xbox and a Nintendo Gamecube. It was really strange at first because he had next to nothing in the way of social skills, but the kid was fantastic at game playing. All around, including non-game time, he would laugh and smile more and seemed to be communicating more. So in my opinion, games have been good. Of course, moderation should be used and I don't like him being in front of his games too long for obvious reasons (tired eyes, etc). Anyway, some anecdotal words regarding my personal experiences with game playing.

I also play an MMO (not WoW, sorry) and I love it. There's strategy, team work and economic skills that can be learned from an extent.

Video games are not bad. They may reflect negative images, but most of these images pertain to real life scenarios anyway. I think that video games can be very helpful, but at the same time everything should be done in moderation. Video games are supposed to be addictive, that is how corporations who make video games make their money. It's sad to see people stuck in the house playing video games all night and all day. I think it may make yonger children less sociable or sociable only with children who play video games, but it is possible to play video games and have a social life.

^Bingo. I have a very active social life, and still manage to play video games. I play against my friends on xbox live alot, because it is just a way for us to have fun if we don't feel like going out or something like that. Video games can also be a good social networking tool as well.

haha, are you going to play gta4 when it comes out in april?

I used to play every day.
Haven't in over 2 months I think.
Mainly because my mother hid it.

Still plan on pursuing a career in that field, though.

At the height of my game playing, I was able to beat The Warriors in a few hours. I am going to get San Andreas to prep for GTA4.

honestly i think strategy games really have made my thinking sharper. right now i'm currently playing disgaea for psp, pretty fun, and mind challenging, though in a minimal way.

it's weird though 'cause i start thinking about everything in a certain "strategic" way now. i guess it's made my life more organized?

He doesn't speak often, but he says a lot, despite the brevity.

Agreed! Games like graw, and cod4 have definitely made me a sharper thinker.

To think, I was just making spam legit topics because I was on mod preview...

Did you know that Doctors use Playstation in order to relax and warm up their hands before surgery? This was when PS2 was in her prime.

Video games also help hand and eye coordination, as well as eye reflexes which also promotes eye strengthening.

MMO (such as FFXI) helped me understand supply and demand, to the point in which I myself could control certain aspects of the economy by various items (buying and selling)

Because MMOs have realistic game play (such as economy) they can become very addicting. Again with FFXI, there was actual death rates in Japan and China because lack of nutrients (food and sun) and sleep. A game like FFXI can easily take the reality away from a person because the game in a sense is real, real enough to make fake money, become popular, have a social life, and the demand of time consuming responsibilities needed in order to succeed in the game.

That'll teach ya!

MMO's are extremely addicting, especially since there's so much social interaction.

MMO? What is that?

MASSIVE MULTIPLAYAR, ONLINE

Or something like that.

massive multiplayer online roleplaying game.