Playing Video Games on my 3D TV – And Surviving It!

A couple of days back, I was surfing the net on my LGSmart TV, and came across a very interesting, but somehow disturbing news article. The news piece was about a 15 year old teenager in USA, who indulged in an almost 4-5 day long bout of gaming – almost non-stop. The only brief breaks that he took were for answering nature’s call, getting a bit of food and washing. Not surprisingly, he soon collapsed due to sheer exhaustion and dehydration. However, the news had a happy ending – the teen eventually recovered, though his X-Box is banished – probably forever.

Call of Duty - Popular Video Game

Now, I think the boy will feel OK for a few days, but he will miss his X-Box sooner or later. It is something to do with gaming itself – it becomes addictive in due time. Different people like different types of games – some like arcade games, some like first person shooters; still others are addicted to multiplayer games. Every person has got their favorite poison!

Also, with the evolution of gaming technology, more and more gaming options are becoming available to gamers. X-Box and PSP work with both PCs and TVs, portable gaming devices are ubiquitous - even our smartphones have become potent gaming devices.

Another factor in the rapidly expanding gaming industry is the ample availability of software – hundreds of good-to-play gaming titles, and many more coming out at regular intervals.  Some gaming titles – Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, GTA, Call of Duty – to name but a few - have acquired a considerable fan following, even developing into veritable cults.

Yet, too much of even a good thing can eventually turn bad. So, playing games, even though interesting, should stay within reasonable limits. Playing games too much for too long has been connected to various health risks – most importantly – increased vulnerability to heart attacks due to lack of sleep. Many psychology experts also warn against gaming addiction, and compare it to other forms of addictions – especially drug addiction. There is a same sense of living in a make believe world, the same abhorrence to social interactions and the same withdrawal symptoms.

Also, the relatives and loved ones of avid gamers should keep their eyes open – and intervene positively and assertively when things seem to be getting out of hand. Prevention is always better than cure.

Dual Play Mode in LG 3D TV

In that sense, I have been very fortunate – my mother used to keep a very sharp eye on us two brothers when we were playing video games. She would really let us have it if we crossed boundaries – we didn’t like it sometimes, but now feel that she was always right. But mostly, the realization should also come from within – gaming is good, but life should mean something beyond it, too.

Another good step to prevent this situation would be to play in dual player or co-op mode – two persons are less likely to make the same mistake. These days, I mostly play with my friends whom I invite to partake in gaming sessions on my LG 3D TV – which has a Dual Play feature that lets two players see different screens while playing the same game. Those who have played on split screens will realize that it is a very neat feature to have.