There are a lot of things that people forget to mention when they talk about games. There’s all the in-app purchases, the data mining, and the privacy invasion. But more than anything else, games tend to encourage addictive behavior that can lead to all sorts of negative consequences, from poorer grades and depression to poverty and homelessness. Is dark souls fun is the real trick is to enjoy your games and understand that there’s a lot more to them than just. If you play games for the same reason why everyone else does, it might be time for you to reconsider your choices. Here are 10 things that no one tells you about games:
1. They Cause Depression, Anxiety and Addiction
“The main thing about video games is there’s an easy escape,” says Dr. Robert Rosen at the University of Utah Medical School . “You disengage from life and put yourself into the world of the game. It’s like a drug. It’s not like heroin. It’s not like alcohol. But it’s a little bit like alcohol and a little bit like heroin.”
We know that some people have become addicted to games and it can be very serious. Some of these games, like Farmville, are actually designed to make you spend money on virtual items by requiring you to click through so many ads before being able to start playing. This isn’t entirely surprising considering the fact that many video game companies use in-game purchases as a way to get expensive items into the hands of their most dedicated fans.
2. Playing Video Games can damage your brain
Playing games can actually make you less engaged in life. The problem is that the more a person engages in video games, the less they’re able to interact with real people and the more distant they become from the rest of society. It’s fairly clear that a lot of these people are suffering from feelings of isolation, depression and social anxiety.
But the real tragedy is that all of this is going on when video games have never been better than they ever have been before. A company named Imangi Studios released Temple Run about a month ago and it has already made over $50 million dollars in just a few weeks!
3. A lot of the time, the more you play, the worse your experience gets
Every person that plays video games will have a different experience and everyone has their own set of rules that they expect to be followed by the programmer. But one thing is for certain, people are going to get frustrated with a game if they keep playing it over and over again and there aren’t any improvements to be found. This is why most big games release a new version or an expansion pack every year or so. This gives players an incentive to keep wasting time on the game since they’ll get something new and better.
4. The negative effects of video games on North American children are well-documented
Over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of controversy over the fact that kids are increasingly spending almost all of their time playing video games and the toll that it’s having on their academic success. According to one study, more than 70 percent of children between the ages of 8 and 18 play more than two hours every day with 66 percent saying that they’re addicted to these games.
Unfortunately, rather than working on improving the quality of life for young people, some states have actually passed legislation that will allow parents to sue companies if they feel like their children have become too addicted to video games.
5. Most people don’t take the time to understand what’s actually happening behind the scenes in games
Many people have no idea why they really need to switch resolutions or how their CPU is going to get all of those graphics running on their screen, but there are a lot of things that are going on that they’d be better off knowing.
For example, many games will actually block the usage of any other software while you play them and a lot of these companies have been accused of using techniques like data mining and web tracking as a way to get you to buy new versions and add-ons.
6. There are worse and more intrusive games than others
There are a lot of games out there that might seem innocuous and harmless, but they actually contain all sorts of data mining techniques that can be used to help third party companies learn more about you and your habits. One notorious game called Farmville has this feature built into it, but most people don’t even realize that they’re playing a game that’s prying into their privacy in order to make money off of you!
