#7 - Video Games

Being raised in the 80s has always been a proud achievement of mine, not because of the music and the mullets, but because I was there for the rise of the video game revolution. The Nintendo Entertainment System introduced me to a new way of wasting my time. Sure my dad had an Atari, but I never really got into video games until the NES came out. I have been fortunate enough to probably have played every platform since the NES including currently playing the XBox 360 and Wii. For years, video games were taking up a decent amount of my time everyday. I was in the Air Force from 01-07, so a lot of my free time was on the sticks of the PS2 and XBox. I'm not saying I played all the time, but a good 3 hours or so which to me seems like a lot for gaming. It still game me time to get out and do things. However, once I got out of the military, got married, and had a child, things changed. I now realize the more important things in my life and its not satisfying my own needs playing video games. Even though I did play video games, and still might once in a while, I never considered myself an avid gamer. I played mostly sports games, upgrading every year when the new game came out, just to relax and ease my mind after working all day. I never wanted to become one of those people that never get off the couch, go outside, or know how to talk to someone face-to-face. I consider myself fortunate. Unfortunately, I do know people that are "addicted" to video games. In fact, I have two that are related to me, my youngest brother and my brother-in-law. As I type this now, all I can hear in the other room is constant machine gun fire from Black Ops. Now I say addicted because from sun-up to sun-down, and sometimes to sun-up again, they are constantly on their consoles. That to me is wasting your life away. I now realize that video games are the ultimate de-motivator. They are the perfect hobby for those that have no real goals in life and continue to live day by day. I don't hate on those that play games constantly unless their uselessness directly affects me or my family, I have better things to do. I do say that the longer a child can go without being exposed to video games, the better off they will be in life and I tend to test that theory with my own son.