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Gaming is an attractive hobby
Is gaming really bad for you? ‘You can and should game! As a hobby, it’s an attractive leisure activity. But it has to have a time limit and I have to have a clear motive. To find the right entertainment for you check out our Vave Casino Guides and Tips.
Because ultimately, it doesn’t matter what we play or what we do to relax. ‘Playing in itself has its value. Whether I’m playing Ludo, another board game or whether I’m playing FIFA. It has its value to test yourself with others, to react, to play.’
Gaming on prescription
Playing games together as a way to combat coronavirus: the World Health Organisation (WHO) promoted this idea in spring 2020 when the virus brought us the first wave of the disease. They called the campaign #PlayApartTogether, ‘play separately together’. Keeping your distance and still being together in some way: That was supposed to contain the pandemic and minimise the emotional strain on people.
In fact, many people are apparently using video games to distract themselves during the coronavirus restrictions – and also to socialise with others. Initial analyses show that gaming has helped some people to fill their days at home and better withstand the stresses of isolation. As a substitute for other hobbies and activities that were not possible due to contact restrictions, games keep people entertained.
Gaming is social
Wasn’t it always said that gaming makes people lonely and leads to social isolation? Not necessarily. In many game worlds, gamers chat privately in chats on the side. Community forums are replacing the clubhouse in the digital space. They give players the opportunity to be part of a group and experience community.
Online games bring players together across social, geographical and other boundaries. Appearance, place of residence and sometimes even mother tongue are irrelevant. This has an integrative effect. It can promote dialogue, tolerance and a global sense of community.
And as in sport, there are also real heroes in gaming. They prove themselves in tournaments and are rewarded with (virtual or real) medals or trophies.
Like football without alcohol
Media educator Andreas Pauly describes the special atmosphere at gamer meetings based on real-life experiences. ‘It’s always a very special community,’ he says. ‘There’s no alcohol – unlike at a shooting match or on the football pitch, where everyone is often drunk at the end. The gamers are highly focussed. They sometimes have a Red Bull, but they are relatively peaceful.’
The social life is also intensively cultivated here. ‘Fifty per cent of these meetings is gaming and fifty per cent is participants talking about completely different things. Just like in football, communication takes place after the game.’
Concentration and performance
Can you actually learn anything from gaming? Andreas Pauly laughs when asked this question. ‘If you used to ask gamers that, they’d always say: Yes, we train hand-eye coordination! But they didn’t know what else they needed it for outside of the game.’
In the meantime, players are generally networked; the solo game on their own PC has become a global adventure. And the games have become very complex. Pauly’s judgement is accordingly: ‘You have to process information quickly and process stimuli quickly. This sharpens your ability to concentrate.’ His conclusion: ‘What crossword puzzles are to grandma, gaming is to the younger generation.’
eSports:
Professional gaming
If you want to game at profile level, you need to have a fit body and mind. This is why active, health-conscious young people now dominate the eSports industry: they game with trainers at set times, make sure they eat healthily and actively participate in offline sports. Like everyone who pursues a hobby intensively, they have to prioritise. The 3-G rule circulates in gamer circles: gaming, girlfriend or good grades? Many eSports players realise that they cannot reconcile more than two of the three pillars, i.e. gaming, girlfriend and good grades.
Bad Game:
Where there is light, there is also shadow.
You must always have your motive clear,’ warns Andreas Pauly of the dangers of gaming.. It’s about risks, when gaming isn’t so bad and what you can do if you can’t get away from the controller.
These signs indicate a gaming addiction
- The gamer wants to play all the time and can’t stop
- Constant lack of sleep due to gaming
- Gaming is more important to them than everyday activities such as personal hygiene
- They neglect friends, sports and hobbies
- work suffer from gaming, grades deteriorate
- Friendships or relationships fall apart
- He continues in the same way, even though the gaming behaviour has already had negative consequences (girlfriend has broken up with him, poor grades, criticism of work behaviour)
Gaming addiction is an official diagnosis in the WHO ICD catalogue as a ‘gaming disorder’. This lists three main criteria: Loss of control, that gaming is taken increasingly more seriously than other interests and activities of daily life, and continuing to play despite negative consequences.