The Gamer's Guide

In life, we quest endlessly to find happiness and ultimately; wellbeing. There are many different approaches to ‘living the good life, some use music; and others use art. It is from personal experience that wellbeing can be achieved through playing video games. While many take notice of the negative effects that gaming has on a person (Carnagey and Anderson, 2004), it is imperative that the various positive aspects are also drawn into the spotlight. These positive contributions to wellbeing include: Sociability, relaxation, and health. Regardless of the negative effects that some scientists argue (Carnagey and Anderson, 2004); the positive effects of video game consumption far outweigh the negative.

We as a race are extremely social creatures – which is why our ability to socialise has an extremely large effect on our wellbeing. The general perception is that through playing video games, our social life would decrease; logically. However, in a survey conducted in elementary schools, it was found that playing video games had no direct effect on popularity amongst children (Sakamoto, 1994). In a Japanese study conducted by Shimai, Masuda and Kishimoto found that, in elementary school children, those who played video games actually had a higher sociability than those who didn’t (1990). Sakamoto concluded that, the reason for increased sociability, rather than isolation, is because gamers played with their family and friends – rather than by themselves (1994). From personal experience, this is extremely true. The playing of video games extremely increases sociability as it gives a common interest to talk about. My relationship with my grandfather, for example, has never been stronger as we share a common interest, World of Warcraf...

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