Mention the term ‘computer gaming’ and in most people, what leaps to mind is the image of a young boy staring, fixated, at his computer screen, enthralled by the grotesque splattering of enemy blood under his skilful navigation. Incidents of the obsession with computer gaming have sullied the reputation which computer gaming, over its short history of thirty years, has created for itself. However, as farfetched as it may appear, I do believe that computer gaming should be considered a healthy pursuit because of the various benefits it can confer to the individual.
Playing computer games keeps the mind sharp and alert by honing one’s reflexes. It trains the mind to be more aware of its surroundings and enables the individual to respond as quickly as possible to changes in his environment. Engaging in games such as ‘warcraft’ and ‘counterstrike’ requires players to be on the alert at all times, detecting their enemies and finishing them off before they themselves are spotted first. An experiment conducted by ‘Child of our time’ showed that children exposed to computed games had faster reaction times than those who did not. This shows that computer gaming does promote the development of sharp reflexes, therefore contributing to a healthy and sharp mind.
Furthermore, many computer games today encourage teamwork among players. In various multiplayer online games, the more popular choices being ‘Maple Story’ and ‘Nukezone’, players organize themselves into teams and work together to bring about the defeat of other teams in order to emerge the proud victors. In these games, teamwork and cooperation are indispensable ingredients in the broth of ultimate success and through playing such games, players, in particular the young, are taught the importance and usefulness of copperating well with others to the progress of the entire team. A study conducted by multimedia giant ‘Electronic Arts’ revealed that after playing multiplayer games for a period of two months, right in ten children ages five to twelve were better able than before to work with other children to complete tasks, proving that individuals can pick up life skills such as teamwork through computer games.
With the spotlight increasingly being focused on creative thinking and critical problem solving skills in society today, it is comforting to know that computer gaming can also stimulate one’s mind to think out of the box and explore various methods of liberating oneself from the same dilemma. Not all computer games involve physical mutilation of opponents. Some require players to crack bewildering puzzles and baffling codes to successfully advance to the next level. Such tasks are certainly no child’s play and players are forces to put their intelligence quotas to this grueling test and source for possible solutions. Through such games, players’ minds will be trained to look at problems from different angles, promoting the development of a creative, versatile mind. One pristine example is “Archimedes’ Lab Puzzle”, where players are bombarded with a barrage of complex mathematical sums and are required to solve them in a stipulated time before progressing to the next level. Through such mind boggling computer games, players can develop a healthy, creative mind.
However, excessive computer gaming can also be addictive for those who lack discipline. With the overwhelming urge to progress to a higher level, some would neglect all other responsibilities and the opportunity costs of whiling away precious time playing computer games. In a recent article published in ‘The Straits Times’, a father, when interviewed, lamented that his teenage son became so obsessed with completing a computer game that he would lock himself in his room every day after school, bent on fuelling this unhealthy obsession, and was nonchalant about his plummeting grades.
Also, excessive exposure to computer game violence can translate into players exhibiting such forms of violence in real life. A Swedish newspaper once reported that after the game ‘Doom’ had been introduced into the country, the rate of juvenile crime had, and not by mere coincidence, witnessed a considerable increase. Such games portray violence to be an acceptable means of solving problems, requiring players to stab, punch or put a bullet through their opponents to render them innocuous to their advance to a higher level. Children and younger teenagers are especially vulnerable to this irresponsible and reprehensible depiction of violence, thus it is understandable that in this respect, computer gaming cannot be considered a healthy pursuit.
It is hard to dispel the notion that computer gaming necessarily leads to failing grades and blatant neglect for all other duties and life, as evidence has shown. However, this is only true in extreme cases. Computer gaming, the phenomenon which has captured the world by storm, is not merely about decapitating three-headed dragons or slaying humongous in a nauseating fashion. It can indeed promote a healthy mind, and thus constituting a healthy body. The danger lies only when computer gaming becomes an obsession. Like everything else in life, computer gaming will be healthy if consumed in moderation and where one finds it impossible to extricate himself from the excitement and exhilaration of the game, discipline and willpower must come into play before entertainment morphs into obsession.
