Video games are a great source of entertainment, whether for personal or family use. They have every type of game imaginable. There are sports, action, adventure, and even music based ones. If there is a game you are looking for in any genre you will most likely find it with little trouble. With all this however comes a price just like with anything else. The more games you play, the more time and space you are away from other people. There are, however times when video games can actually help families bond. These are some ways video games can affect families.
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The Bad
As I said before, video games take time and space away from you. If you get too caught into them you may end up finding yourself becoming distant from others. This includes loved ones whether they are friends and family. It's a fact that video games are addicting, so it should stand to reason that it also strains other time-worthy things. I myself was addicting to video games, and as a result had a rough time with my family. All I wanted to do was sit in front of the TV. Eating dinner with my family or meeting up with friends became more of minority of my time. Nothing took preference over gaming. This level of addiction could affect a mother or father causing them to neglect their kids and spouse. It's a serious issue that could even lead into divorce. Video games can ruin families if they lack self control.
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The Good
While video games can ruin families, they can easily bring them together as well. There are plenty of games that focus on the family building. While it's true most of them are sucky games that bring more frustrating than fun, families still bond over them. They laugh and smile together over the silly things that happen. Sure it might sometimes make a sore loser upset, but at the same time it can be the only thing that saves a family. I have a friend who never talked to his father, they hated each other and didn't want to speak at all. The only thing they actively agreed to do and enjoyed together was video games. They had gaming night every Friday with friends. That gaming night became the thing that saved their relationship. It wasn't words and a full apology, but it started a mutual friendship that they were able to build off of. It gave them an equal starting point to try and start something new. Sometimes sitting with your parents and siblings to play a game of Super Smash Bros Melee can actually bring you closer.
Conclusion
Gaming can definitely ruin your family, however it can also save it as well. The key thing here is to remember time management. If you let video games control your life and sap all of your times from more important things you are bound to have problems. Preferably if you manage to control yourself reasonably, there is a chance that pulling out a game after dinner can actually give you something to talk about and always look forward to. It gives you a place of equal footing with everyone and is truly a beautiful thing to see happen. Video games can become a safe place with a family that you can come back to for good memories. I still love thinking about the days I played Halo with parents, and it is some of my favorite childhood memories.
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Thank you to all the people who created the fun games I have memories of. Thank you for reading this post of mine! Please up-vote, resteem, and follow me for future gaming content! I really appreciate the support.
Interesting read. I can relate to this from when I was younger (around the age of 16-17). It took me some new friends and the yelling of my mother to realize that gaming was, indeed, ruining my social life. My mom's never shunned videogames, but did tell me when to stop for the day.
At one point I invited her to play some games with me on the Nintendo Wii, which is a great family console, and play some Mario Kart, karaoke, and other party games.
Today, I know how to combine my gaming life with my social life. And it works out great and I feel better about myself than back in the day.