What Parents Need to Know about Video Games

I've got a good source about Video addiction. This two part audio discussion tales that Video game producers prey on children. It is much easier for kids to become addicted then the adult all though adults can be affected also.

They say when games start taking the place of normal things kids like to do then there is a problem. Some of the games focus on the bad side like Grand Theft Auto. Others allow you to chose to be bad or good. Some games make you feel you are the one in the game playing. These games are so intense that you will spend hours playing trying to level you character or get the next upgrade.

After a time you start dreaming and even find yourself thinking what you are going to do next when you can get back to your game. Soon all your spare time is taken up with playing your game. You become anti-social and stay home. "I'm married? Oh when did that happen."

Don't get me wrong all software is not bad. You don't have to get ride of your computer or console. Just manage what you have. Get rid of violent games. Limit game time for the kids or yourself.

The title of the audio I have been speaking of is "What Parents Need to Know About Video Games." It is sponsored by Focus on the Family. Please click on the above link to hear the discussion. I think you will find it interesting.

Health Problems related to Computers.

I found this article from back in 2002 on the News24.com. Though this article is not directed at gaming it does point to users stairing at computer screens for hours, which basicly is what we do when we play games. If you get a chance take time to pop over to News24.com and check out some of there current stuff.

Minimise computer time
06/11/2002 10:53 - (SA)

New York - The more time an office worker toils in front of a computer, the more likely he or she is to suffer a host of physical, mental and sleep-related ills, Japanese researchers report.

While video display terminal (VDT) use has become commonplace in many types of jobs, there is little information on how long a person can safely use a computer each day. To investigate, Dr Tetsuya Nakazawa of Chiba University and colleagues surveyed over 25 000 office workers who responded to three questionnaires between 1995 and 1997.

Participants answered questions about the amount of time they spent in front of a VDT, their sleep habits, and physical and mental ailments including headache, low back pain, eyestrain, depression and anxiety. Their findings are published in the October issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

"In our study, we found a significant relationship between duration of daily VDT use and physical symptoms," even after adjusting for other factors that could influence the results, the authors write.

Office workers stuck in front of a computer most commonly complained of headache, eyestrain, joint pain and stiff shoulders.

Mental symptoms such as lethargy, anxiety and "reluctance to go to work", as well as sleep-related problems including insomnia and fatigue, were most common among workers who spent more than five hours a day glued to their computer screen.

"This result suggested that the effect of duration of daily VDT use on these scores has a threshold effect, and the prevention of mental disorder and sleep disorder requires the restriction of VDT use to less than 5 hours per day," the researchers write.

While the type of computer work the study participants performed varied considerably, as did the size of the computer used and the work environment, "it should be emphasised that even under such working conditions, our results were extremely consistent over a 3-year period," Nakazawa and colleagues note.

The researchers call for more research into the relationship between computer use and physical, mental and sleep symptoms.

Site Recomendation

I've got a site for you to check out. It is webspeaker.blogspot.com. This guys got information on new hardware, free utility software, technical information and much more. Don't pass up his "Free Data Recovery Presentation" or the Article "Ready for Vista?" There is even an Article on
PS2 Games On your PC." Hummm I've got to read that next just as soon as I'm done here. Just can't get enough games.

Talk at you later this week.

Addictions

We all have addictions, some small and others large. Addictions include: Watching Sports, washing hands, blankees, shopping, drugs, drinking, over eating, Internet surfing and PC Gaming. Some good and some not so good. But in reality anything that consumes you and glues you to it is basically NOT good. I have read, everything you do should be taken in moderation. The first step for addiction is to admit you have one. The Second is to find a good counselor. Please seek help.

That said, I have one of my own addictions to share: PC Gaming. I play a variety of games, from shooters to Role play and Strategy. I get a new game and the wife says "I won't see you again for weeks". I will get stuck on one game until I'm burned out and have to switch to another. God forbid that I go to a Best Buy or Game Stop.

I've told myself starting in January, the only game I'm going to buy is Spore when it is out. Well, I'm one in the hole. I could not resist the discount software bin at Roses. I'll do better next time.

That's my Welcome to this Blog. Feel Free to add Family Safe commits.