Games and School: A Life Long Struggle

It seems like a pretty simple fact that if you spend the majority of your time playing videogames, you are bound to miss out on some schoolwork, which can set you back in life. A common trend is that addiction of often begins at a young age. I interviewed my brother, currently a senior at Bard College, about the issue of gaming addiction. I asked him if he had ever been addicted to videogames himself, he admitted, “I was pretty hooked on them all throughout grade school. They offer an instant gratification that is hard to resist.” He began playing at a young age, and he claims that the activity of playing the games interfered with his studies, “All throughout middle and high school. There is simply more challenge and gratification from a level in a video game than from one’s math homework.” The lasting effect of addiction can be scarring, especially if not corrected. Thankfully, my brother only plays about 5-10 hours a week, and only when he is home from college. Some people play three or four hours a day. My brother concludes that “[He] generally [avoids] adventure games because of the massive amount of time they consume” These are games like “World of Warcraft”, which you hear so much buzz about lately, and how people can play for hours on end. Many people can develop life long issues as a result of videogames, which means that, in some cases, gaming addiction can be just as damaging as that of drugs and alcohol.