Are Video Games Bad for You or Good for You?

Love playing video games? Wondering if they are good or bad for you? Here are a few thoughts … including how they might affect your finances.

The Pros of Video Games

Cognitive researcher Daphne Bavelier delivered an interesting TED talk on video games and explained that they can actually have a positive affect on the brain. She found that video games, even action-packed shooter games, can help people learn, focus, and multitask. Multitasking has been shown to have some bad affects on people, but nevertheless, these are interesting findings.

Growing up, I was a video game child and spend hours and hours playing them. My favorite type of game were puzzle/adventure games. Can anyone say Myst?

It’s very rare that I play video games nowadays, but I have recently played Portal 2 (another interesting puzzler) and occasionally play the 5-minute games on my iPhone.

Playing games that force you to heavily problem solve are probably of some benefit.

The Cons of Video Games

Dr. Andrew Doan, MD, PhD tells his testimony on YouTube on how video games consumed his life. Simply put, he was addicted, and suffered devastating consequences. Thankfully, he recovered and even wrote a book called Hooked on Games that can help you if you suffer from video game addiction or Internet addiction.

Video games for consoles like the Wii or PS3 often cost $30 to $50. That’s a lot of money, and one reason why you might want to stay away from them.

Another important point is that video games consume your time. This time might be better spent trying to improve your income or spending time with family.

Should You Be Playing Video Games?

That’s a question that’s up for debate. Personally, I feel that if you do decide to play, you should play very little (probably never more than an hour a day if that), and spend the time you save reading books or something more productive.

What do you think? Do you play video games? How many hours do you spend playing video games per day or week? Tell us what you think about video games in the comments!