As humans we work hard to reach our goals or to meet deadlines. We go to school, cracking down trying to get the best grades possible so you can eventually go to a decent college and land a job that you love doing and pays well. It can be exhausting and at times extremely stressful. Not to mention we all try to find balance between relationships with family, friends or your significant other. There is times you just want to get away and take a breather just to recoup. Video games can be a great way to kick up your feet and enjoy a little "me" time. This is easy to understand because we all need a little break to keep our sanity. What happens though if our fun hobby of harmless pixel violence because something of an obsession?
I did a little research to find out who took their gaming hobbies to the limit. Some of the stories I came across ranged from, failed relationships all the way to death. With the video game industry stronger than ever and the younger generation of kids growing up with amazing technology, it is getting harder than ever to control that obsession. I personally work with elementary kids, and I see the way technology has come into play with their lives. No more is it reading a physical copy of a book but simply turning on the kindle fire while swapping between Minecraft and Harry Potter. It is amazing but at the same time these kids rarely ever tell stories of them exploring outside with their friends, but rather how they came across"Enderman" or spend hour's youtubing scary video games. There are many kids suffering from obesity because of the lack of exercise they are getting, and you can't be in denial about it, but it is most definitely due to video games. It has become an easy babysitting tool for parents who have had a long day at work and just want to relax and not deal with their kid.
One disturbing story I came across just left me in complete disgust. A mother was playing a game called FarmVille, when her infant baby began to cry. She was getting annoyed, the crying was interrupting her playing time. Furious, she marched into the baby's room and began to shake the infant until it was no longer crying. The baby died, all because of some stupid virtual game. The mom got 50 years in prison, justice? Maybe, but that baby is still dead because of pure irresponsibility and obsession. There is nothing wrong with playing games, just know your limits and know when you need to take a break. The games aren't going anywhere, but your relationships and even your health can be threatened if you don't take the time to acknowledge them.
Put the controller down. Listen to your friends and family. Games aren't life.