Whether on computers, consoles, or phones, countless individuals across the globe play video games. Since their inception, these digital experiences have been criticized for their sometimes graphic content and distracting nature. Many of these worries have, and continue to be, directed toward younger individuals, particularly students from their parents and peers.
Ben Kiekhaefer is a university student and growing up his family let him play video games if he got good grades. Thankfully for him, he consistently did well in school. However, he wasn’t allowed to play for very long, usually no more than a few hours a day, especially when it came to certain games that could be considered “disturbing.”
When he moved to university, however, Kiekhaefer began to play video games a little more often.
“My freshman year, I used to play late into the night,” Kiekhaefer said. “I would wake up the next day and go to class exhausted. I would never fiend to play games during the day, but when I would log on at the end of the night, time would slip through my hand and my grades began to fall.”
Dr. Bryan Trude, Assistant Professor of Public Relations and Digital Communication at MSSU, has studied video games extensively, specifically community building and support. He feels that students need to understand that video games are not the problem, the people playing them are.
“I believe video games, in and of themselves, cannot be positive or negative when it comes to influencing anybody,” Trude said. “Playing video games to the level that you neglect other aspects of your life can be harmful, but it is more a symptom of general addiction. Just switch ‘video games’ for ‘alcohol,’ and the concept is the same.”
While it took him a few months to realize this, Kiekhaefer agreed. Over the past year, he has reduced his video game intake. As a result, he says he feels a lot better physically, mentally, and academically.
“College life is a lot different than grade school and I am getting older. I have to study and take care of my body a lot more than I ever did in the past,” Kiekhaefer said. “Video games were the easiest for me to cut to make time for other things. I’m still able to talk to my friends during the day, which is great, but playing games is something I can only really do when I have absolutely nothing else going on.”
Kiekhaefer recommends that people in a position similar to his try limiting, but not fully cutting out, their video game consumption and to try new things.
