![]() That said, it’s important to note that it’s not only academia that’s changing the gaming landscape. The good news is that this research can help change the narrative going forward, and help the next generation of gamers feel better about their recreation of choice. On the other hand, these new studies underscore that the damage these messages inflicted was misguided though some pro-gaming academics could be found more than a decade ago, they couldn’t dent the stereotypes in the broader society. On the one hand, it helps me finally rid myself of the internalized message that I was doing something wrong by playing them, even if they were just an occasional hobby for me alongside tennis, reading and drawing. It’s bittersweet to now have international universities vindicate video games based on scientific assessments of their impact. ![]() Through therapy, I’ve grown to embrace all the aspects of my identity, including my love of video games, but I wish these shameful feelings had never been given fertile ground to grow in the first place. ![]() That self-loathing carried into the clothes I wore, the choices I made about my career – and the way I spent my free time. I even quit Zelda.Īt the time, I was questioning my sexuality, and guilt and shame permeated all that I did. My high school teachers routinely told us we would have done better on the latest pop quiz if we hadn’t wasted time on “Halo,” a sci-fi military shooter series of games, or “Pokémon,” a fantasy series in which players battle each other with a team of pocket monsters (or Pokémon).įor years I fixated on the oversimplification of “gaming = bad.” It hit me hardest in college, when I vowed to reinvent myself: I left my consoles at home. Opinion: Utah’s startling new rules for kids and social mediaĪt best, gaming was considered a waste of time. Phil even blamed video games for the Virginia Tech shooting. In 2005, California passed a law regulating the sale of violent video games (later overturned for being unconstitutional). In 2003, Oprah Winfrey’s producers searched for video game addicts for an episode of her TV show. Though their disdain was targeted at gratuitously violent or sexual games, which Zelda is not, they often lumped all games into one category: bad.Ĭultural icons and politicians only amplified that message. My teachers in the aughts didn’t like them. While I welcome these findings, I can’t help but feel a renewed frustration for the messaging around gaming that so many of us experienced along the way. It’s the latest in a flurry of studies demonstrating the physical and cognitive benefits of gaming, ranging from balance and knee extension strength, to the positive association it can have with reading and attention, to its enhancement of some cognitive functions and a sense of wellbeing if not done excessively (which can actually make things worse). Not only is the long-awaited release of Zelda upon us, but a meta-analysis by Chinese academics found that virtual reality games, one of the more immersive types of video gaming, can actually be good for health by improving physical function in older adults – in some cases more than conventional exercise. This is why May 2023 is such an exciting time in gaming. While my parents supported my playing video games growing up, so many others blamed them for ruining lives. Natalie Schriefer Courtesy Natalie Schrieferīut the unfettered joy I feel today in playing the latest version of Nintendo’s legendary series took me longer to acquire than all 900 Korok seeds.
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