All Things In Moderation

This post was inspired from Brittany's post Seeing Video Games Differently. I really appreciated Brittany's honest insights and research. I remember talking to her and Victoria after class about our take-away messages from the class discussion.

I have never been one for video games. I think this is because my parents also don't really like video games and so they were never around when I was growing up. I would play them occasionally at friend's houses and they were fun, but I never really got addicted to any. My friends did get addicted, however, and that was a major red flag to me.

I hate addictions. I hate how they make someone lose control of themselves. I hated the Pokemon craze in second grade for this reason, and I hated video games later on for the same reason. I hated that they were all my friends could talk about. I tried to get into it with them sometimes, but couldn't because I was afraid of becoming addicted.

There are sites dedicated to warning others about video game addiction. Check some of them out:

Video Game Addiction
WebMD: Video Game Addiction No Fun
Psychology Today: Are Video Games Addictive?
How to Avoid Video Game Addiction
Video Game Addiction and Other Internet Compulsive Disorders Mask Depression, Anxiety... 

Here's the thing though: anything can be addicting. Movies, social media, certain foods... even reading books can be extremely addicting! The thing is, we don't really hear about reading addictions because of the stereotypes surrounding reading. If a person reads too much he or she is generally considered "studious," or "smart," or at the very worst a "bookworm" (which can be considered a compliment). It is rarely seen as a problem.

There is sooo much out there about both the pros and cons about video games. Just do a Google Search. Plenty of stuff will pull up. It can be confusing to know the right thing to do. So, here's my two cents:

I think it all comes down to moderation and your personal standards. Everyone is different so different things work for different people. My husband and I talked about video games that evening after the class and we decided that we won't ban video games from our house, but that we'll be selective about which ones are allowed. I'm still not a fan of violent video games (even if I can set the settings to have the shot person burst into flowers rather than bleed or squirt slime). I just don't like seeing people get shot--I won't even watch Westerns with my husband because I hate it so much. It doesn't work for me. Other people can handle it. I just get sad.

We ban R-rated movies in our house. We get rid of books with too much language, sex, violence, or drugs. Games with certain ratings will be banned too. That's what we've decided because that's what we feel good about and what works for us.

That's my two cents. Now go have fun! Just moderate it.