Time Well Spent - Gaming as a Brain Booster

Video games have proven to be addictive and often result in children and adults alike isolating themselves to a room where they remain "plugged in" for hours on end, having little to no contact with the outside world, or reality for that matter.

The isolating effect that the video game takeover has on a person can be damaging to his social life and cause him to lose touch with reality. The addiction factor can be heavily damaging as well. Intense gamers have been known to lose their jobs because they can't seem to get out of the video rocker and put the controller down.

There are even instances of gamers dying after intense gaming sessions that lasted days at a time. But these are extreme cases. It isn't fair to say that playing video games is dangerous or hazardous to one's health. In fact, let's give gaming the benefit of the doubt and explore the benefits. Surely, there must be some.

For one thing, video games have become a multimedia art form. Players become "experts," earning bragging rights for levels passed, goods acquired, and competitors outlasted. Becoming an expert takes practice, and what's wrong with that? Does a pro chess player put in less practice time than a pro gamer?