Remember "Pong?" Of course you do - the simple "get the pixelated ball past the pixelated paddle" adventure commonly thought of as one of the first video games, is often looked back on with nostalgia. Times, unfortunately, have changed.
In older days, "Pong" was too simple to be considered more of a pastime than a diversion, making an addiction to the game about as likely as an addiction to a slinky. With the advent of the Nintendo Entertainment System, video games became a more time-consuming venture, requiring hours or days of commitment to finish some games. Now the average video game player is between the ages of 18 and 30, and 32 percent have either graduated from or are attending college. Somehow, a medium previously seen as childish has grown up.
College students love Xbox Live, which allows gamers to connect with other players all over the world, allowing for a game at virtually any moment of the day. Unlike other vices and addictions, a fix for online games is available at all hours of the day for only a small monthly fee. Counselors finally have to face up to this new breed of addiction.
In response to the problem and to a personal tragedy, Liz Wooley started Online Gamers Anonymous. Her son, addicted to the popular online role-playing game "EverQuest," committed suicide in front of his computer screen at age 21. The group now has a curriculum similar to other addiction recovery methods, including a 12-step program.
For many college students, the situation is probably not so dire, but it is still a problem. Excessive video game playing, in essence, infantilizes mature, college-aged students, letting them interact in imaginary worlds in direct avoidance of reality. Sure, Xbox Live allows gamers to communicate with each other, but only in an isolated, disconnected way. And while some experts claim that gamers learn important cognitive skills in front of a television or computer screen, such claims have to be weighed against the missed benefits. How many students spend hours exercising these "skills" with a video game controller, when that time could be devoted to athletic, academic or social ventures?
Of course, the Xbox does play an inevitable part in the college community. Dorm residents are able to bond over games of "Halo" or "NCAA Football" in a relatively harmless way. Unfortunately, Xbox Live allows students to get their gaming fix without even knocking on their suitemate's door. Once the social element is taken away, video games have very little benefit. In excess, they are ultimately harmful.
The solution to the problem of wasted time and possible addiction to video games must lie in a joint effort between parents and students in childhood, before college. If a student is not introduced to video games until later in life, then he is more likely to have already devoted his time to other interests and will be able to develop a healthy attitude towards gaming. Ideally, video games will be an occasional recreation rather than a childish retreat. And if giving up video games seems like a bit too much to ask, you can still get "Pong" on eBay.
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