I am on my couch busy smashing candies on my tab! Someone rings the doorbell. Oh..oh….who is it……??? I am annoyed. Reluctantly, I lift my head from my tab to check who is at the door and I lose the game. I am upset with my friend for showing up at the most inopportune time. But within minutes, both of us are playing this game without talking to each other, unaware of what’s happening around us. Suddenly, I smell something burning. I jump up and run to the kitchen… omg! my mother had asked me to turn the stove off.

Gaming is a complete stress buster, especially when I get to smash those candies. Just as much as I enjoy playing these games, it also creates stress as I spend hours playing non-stop. I lose my sense of time and surrounding.

So here is something to ponder over- Is gaming a stress buster or does it worsen the stress?

Sometimes I get up at midnight to buy those virtual cars so that my online friends with whom I am playing the game don’t get to buy them. The next day at school, I discuss how many points I am ahead of them. I enjoy all the attention for the day as I have bought all these expensive cars! 

As my teacher is solving problems in the class, I dream about the online cars I have bought and feel like a hero. I also need to make up for the poor sleep last night. I suddenly find that my fingers are aching, my back is hurting, and my neck feels as if it’s dangling without any support. I excuse myself from the class and ask the office to call my mom. My mom is busy at work and suggests I call my dad. Poor dad is in a hurry to go for a meeting as I call him. I want him to pick me up from school so I can go home and sleep. My dad thinks something is serious and rushes to the school to pick me up, putting aside all his professional commitments. I reach home and sleep peacefully, leaving my parents to worry. Such incidents are beginning to happen often. Finally, my parents took me to a doctor to analyze the problem. It was then that they came to know what is wrong.

These days not only children but adults are also getting addicted to playing these virtual games. What is it that is drawing us into it? Virtual games are designed extremely well. They are designed such that at the initial levels of the game, one feels enthusiastic and appreciated, as the level is easy to get through to the next level. Gradually, as we move up, we are presented with more challenges and the rewards are instant, leading to a feeling of accomplishment and gratification. The scores of other players keep popping up, which gives a feeling of competence. Since the rewards are instant, it helps reduce the stress of achieving long-term goals. This method of relieving stress is helpful as long as one is aware of and keeps a check on the time spent on gaming. But the reality is most of us get addicted to these games and are unable to concentrate on other tasks and end up spending long and precious time on them.

The benefit of online games is that video games are fun when played with other people. Gaming has now transitioned from playing with people in the same room to others online, helping one interact with like-minded people and make friends.

Nowadays, we find a variety of games that help with manual dexterity, effective in improving overall mental health for older adults. There are word games that increase our word power and vocabulary. Memory games and analytical games help the elderly to keep their mind active.

But the negatives far outweigh the positives in gaming. Withdrawal from society, addiction, loss of sleep, and financial issues slowly and steadily creep in.

Hence, prudence lies in being aware of the difference between keeping the mind active and getting addicted.

Let’s play to win…not the game, but ourselves!