The Inebriating World of Video Games

When I was growing up, my house had some strict rules. One of them, like in many households, was that I was expected to perform well academically and excel in the extracurricular activities I was involved in. I got to choose what I liked, so I decided to enroll in martial arts, specifically Karate, and also learn an Indian percussion instrument called the Tabla.

During summer breaks from school, I spent most of my days outside with my friends playing all kinds of games - from Hide & Seek, Cricket, and Soccer, to indigenous games called "Kho-Kho" and "Kabbaddi".

Kho-Kho was an interesting sport where 12 players sat in a crouching position in a single file, with every even player seated facing one direction and the odd players facing the opposite direction. One player would chase another from the opposite team. The player chasing could only run in one direction on either side without turning back, while the person being chased could move freely, including turning backward. The player chasing could tag another sitting player to replace them, and the tagged person would then start chasing the player from the other team. Here's a Kho-Kho video: Kho-Kho

It was one of the most fun games I played in my childhood. I played with my friends in the mornings and evenings. To avoid the scorching heat in the afternoons, we stayed indoors and treated ourselves to all kinds of dessert delicacies, from ice creams to juices, watermelon, and mangoes. During the afternoons, we engaged in various activities like watching movies, playing video games and board games, solving jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, and many other games.

Back in the early 2000s, video games used to be simple, with many of them being two-dimensional and having a maximum playtime of about 10 hours, like Contra or Mario.

My parents had strong guardrails around the time I could spend on video games. I could mostly play during summer breaks, and during the academic year, I was required to study to achieve good grades. If I wanted breaks, I could go outside and play with friends. If I wanted to play video games, I had to follow the allotted times. If I told them I was going to play video games for an hour, I was expected to turn off my machine right on the dot after an hour. Any sneaky extensions or unapproved extensions (except on occasions when I was through with my tests or had a break for a week) would be met with reprimands.

Of course, as a teenager, it sucked that I could only play video games for a few hours. No amount of tantrums or threats worked on my parents. If anything, they'd be met with further rebukes.

But on the positive side, they encouraged me to spend my video game time reading books instead. Of course, why would a teenager resort to reading boring black sentences on white pages over interactive, colorful virtual play?

But very soon, I made this transition and started reading Hardy Boys, Secret Seven, Famous Five, and many other amazing books written by Enid Blyton. If you haven't read Enid Blyton's work, you must! Here's the link: Enid Blyton Society.

These books deeply resonated with me since the stories revolved around teenagers getting into different adventures and solving mysteries. I started reading Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Sherlock Holmes, and many other fantasy and sci-fi books.

I reached a point where I preferred reading books over video games. Of course, I still played video games, but I started liking books more. Soon came a phase when all my friends talked about the games they played over the summer, and I stood there silently, unable to contribute to the conversation. But after our breaks ended and we returned to school, when teachers asked us what we read during the summer, I would be one of those few who'd contribute the most, while others remained silent.

My reading habits stuck with me into adulthood. If I didn't get a chance to read anything for six months, I'd feel a deep void or chasm of emptiness and feel that I had wasted my time.

My love for reading exponentially grew after moving to the U.S., where there were libraries at almost every corner. I couldn't help but visit often and become a member of every library I visited. Every weekend, I'd frequent libraries and peruse one piece of literature after another, feeling joyous and content.

After I got a job, I decided to spend my money (much like anyone beginning to earn) on things I couldn't afford during my childhood. One of them was a PlayStation 5.

When my PS5 arrived, I sensed that things were never going to be the same. I was completely shocked to learn about the paradigm shift in the gaming industry since my childhood. Unlike in my childhood, where I could get multiple games on one disc or memory chip, I had to purchase games individually for the PS5, which were ridiculously expensive.

I realized that the gaming industry had become completely capitalistic, taking advantage of many, especially gullible kids and teenagers. Besides my initial shock at the prices of the games, another shock was the immersive virtual environment. Unlike the heavily pixelated games like Contra and Mario from my childhood, the new games with sophisticated controllers and dual-sense technology provided an extremely rich gaming experience.

I got a PS5 back in December 2023, and in six months, I played these games:

All Spider-Man games

Ghost of Tsushima

GTA 5 (I had played GTA Vice City and San Andreas in my childhood and skipped any in-between. I was shocked to find the gaming plot and overall experience in this game completely unparalleled!)

and many more…

Since getting the PS5, I was instantly hooked. I played games after returning from work and sometimes stayed awake as late as 2 AM. I noticed that my reading habits had steeply declined, and so did my socializing. In six months, I sensed that I was interested in fewer DIY (Do-It-Yourself) activities and projects. My library visits became less frequent, and I felt that my communication skills weren't as sharp as before since I was interacting with people a lot less.

I am not saying the PS5 is completely bad. One study suggests that many players who engage in extensive video games have increased cognitive abilities in some areas compared to players who don't (Source).

However, my personal experience dictates that the negatives far outweigh the positives. My take is that it is especially detrimental to children. If an adult like me could get hooked in an instant to these games, I can only imagine the potential effects on innocent children who are oblivious to the long-term effects, especially when they are at a tender age and could be molded into pursuing amazing professions in their future.

While I am not aware of the physiological or mental effects on children, I can state that the time spent on video games at a tender age could be better spent doing something more beneficial to improve their chances of getting into the profession of their liking and excelling in their fields.

Recently, when the Surgeon General of the U.S. announced that social media should have warning labels like those on tobacco or cigarette packs, I want to echo, amplify, and include video games in the list. Parents must be cognizant of this and take appropriate actions to develop guardrails to prevent their kids from ruining their future.