With kids, and even adult, spending as much time playing their Playstation 3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii, is gaming unhealthy? Is it just a waste of time, causing people to become lazy and unmotivated or can it actually be a healthy mental development activity? http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma 2008-11-19T17:25:30Z Maven http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/maven http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma#comment1 2006-11-24T02:34:39Z pawn http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/pawn This is a tough call because I believe both are valid. Gaming does increase a child's ability to problem solve although this is highly dependent on the game. On the other hand, playing computer games can also be a mindless waste of time. Again, I think it is all dependent on the game they are playing. Either way kids should be outside playing and not in front of a television or computer for hours on end. http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma#comment2 2006-11-28T04:19:25Z BigCheez http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/bigcheez Computer gaming seems to motivate children to learn more than traditional learning. I think that's safe to say. Teachers should spend more time researching how children gaming can be incorporated into learning. I have no doubt that it will not only ecourage learning, but make it more fun. http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma#comment3 2006-11-29T04:06:45Z mfinney http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/mfinney You have to use your mind to solve problems, you are alert and totally immersed (if the game is any good). This is active participation and so much better for you than sitting on the sofa watching the TV. The one thing that worries me about it is the way the gaming experience (the images etc.) invades your dreams. I'm not sure why, but it makes me uneasy. Perhaps it changes the way you think too, on an unconscious level? http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma#comment4 2006-11-29T06:45:00Z philipsfan http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/philipsfan Children need to learn to use their imagination which is something that is not done while playing computer games. When I was a child, I used to play with a pile of dirt and a shovel and was content to do it all day. I don't have anything against gaming as an activity, but a childs life should involve much more than hours in front of a television playing computer games. http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma#comment5 2006-12-06T03:32:32Z chrisek http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/chrisek Let's hope it makes us smarter. I've been playing my XBox 360 for a few days straight. I might be one step away from becoming the next Einstien. http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma#comment6 2006-12-10T16:47:45Z awakened http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/awakened I believe this is heavily dependent on the game, and on the age of the player. I have a younger sister and she likes playing those little harmless nifty computer games, like one that gives her a set of objects in writing, and she must locate them inside an image. To her, this is very educating since English is not her primary language and some of the words she needs to look up in a dictionary in a very limited time. This prompts her to learn new words in English, tests her ability to locate shapes inside of an image (don't get me wrong, this game is tough, even for me and I know the English language very well). Games like these (and even a few fps, or any kind of game) DO contain educational factors of one degree or another. On the other hand, MMORPGs' I strongly dislike, since the only brain activity they require is the mental command to click your mouse. http://www.livesimplicity.com/topics/can-computer-gaming-make-you-sma#comment7 2006-12-11T06:45:37Z moderator http://www.livesimplicity.com/users/moderator For those of us not involved in the gaming world... MMORPG = massive multiplayer online role-playing game