Importance of Video (and Computer) Games
How often do you find yourself longing to play a particular game only to have other affairs interfere with your ability to be able to (at least) play? Does this affect emotional status and/or mental alertness?
I find that it does. Too many times I am pulled away from games like WoW (and allot of computerized puzzle games) only to find my mood to be that of a disgruntled/depressed/grumpy/negative nature. Which people around me generally don't like.
As a friend of mine pointed out; It is similar to the likes of denying an elderly person from trying to watch their favorite TV show...
This is also one of the reasons that I loose sleep. I am sometimes forced to play games during hours that conflict with normal everyday life, such as staying awake until 0300h just so that I can get the (uninterrupted) playtime that keeps my mood in balance and my mental alertness at it's peak, however a lack of sleep contradicts this entirely!
There is considerable study showing that Video Games are not only an important aspect of entertainment[1], but can also be an automatic (subconscious) learning experience[2]
So how does one go about trying to fit more game-hours into one's life, without sacrificing too much (eg. sleep, work etc)?
