Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Modern Games
After reading Sam Anderson's article about how video games are affecting our lives, I couldn't help but wonder if video games and modern technology are really affecting our relationships with others in terms of spending time with them. I know that we should be able to have time to ourselves and escape from reality for a while, but are we becoming so attached to games that they are affecting how we use our time? Anderson states that during conversations with his wife, she would suddenly be interrupted by a notification concerning the newest situation of a game. Instead of waiting and finishing a sentence in the conversation, she automatically checks her phone. Even I have found myself consumed in never ending rounds of Scramble with Friends and spending less time with my family who may be conversing with each other in the living room. I will tell myself that I will only play a few rounds and end up playing for longer than I expected. Even worse, I know in the back of my head that it will most likely be more than a couple of rounds but still become tempted into playing while I could be doing something more meaningful. Once I am into the game, it is hard for me to put it aside, and as a result I am losing valuable time. I have also noticed that this applies to many other forms of media such as the television or computer. Do you agree that modern games can be affecting the time we spend with friends and family, or even just the time we use, period?
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I agree that modern games can be affecting the time we spend with friends and family. There are more distractions in this day and time than before. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the three main distractions for myself. Like you stated, I have started to catch myself answering my phone every time it rings, regardless of who I am talking to. Setting aside technology to communicate with family and friends is a thing we should all get back to.
ReplyDeleteLike you posted above, I agree that video games can have negative effects on otherwise healthy relationships. Video games are fun, but they are very time consuming. I can see how video games negatively affect my own relationships. Whenever I am called to eat dinner as a family, I find myself playing, saying I will arrive at the table. Before I know it, I missed dinner and have to eat cold food by myself. When I play video games online I can see this impact much more negatively. I notice other gamers online, even as young as 7, tend to show disrespect towards others. They use words and phrases that would make a sailor blush. Whenever a girl shows up to play, they shout out very sexist, derogatory comments. It makes me wonder if they behave like this in real life. So yes, I really do think that reducing the amount games we play would really help our communication skills and social lives.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually on vacation right now, and my cousins are attached to screens, family time just isn't the same as it used to be. Technology, and social websites haven't made us more social! No not at all, actually quiet the opposite. Instead of attending actual parties, and doing actual face-to-face networking; people are continuing to choose Facebook then actually faces. As for video games I agree with Giovanni, people detach from the real world and get so caught up, they act like fools and get lost in the screen. I actually have a friend that would literally spend weeks playing world of warcraft, and he didn't speak with anyone outside of the game. It's not healthy at all and it brings up a good point, that video games and technology take away the human interaction aspect of speaking to other people.
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