Video games totally ruin your college social experience, right?

Before making my long car ride here to F&M, I was faced with the indecision of whether to bring a gaming system.

I had been forewarned by a variety of speakers and presenters from colleges across the state that bringing one would impede my ability to live the infamous college experience. I was informed that, by bringing it, I was significantly lowering my chances of successfully socializing, and I was probably putting my education at risk. 

Despite that, I was fairly certain it wouldn't pose a problem for me, and I figured that a number of other students thought the same way. I found myself bothered less about the choice I would have to make and more about the idea behind it. It appeared that, despite recent research and development in the field of videogames in relation to the brain, there are still some outdated thoughts and feelings on the subject here.

First of all, it is absolutely necessary to keep in mind that the world of gaming has rapidly and drastically changed over the years. The idea that gaming creates a band of social outcasts unfit to socialize in the real world is a ridiculous notion now, and it is even unfitting to think that gaming would hinder a student's ability to make and keep friends. 

Today, video games and systems are not solely used for gaming. There is a social aspect to it that allows players to connect to people from practically anywhere, whether it is in the game itself or simply across consoles. Games like Left 4 Dead and Rock Band are designed to encourage players to work with others and to connect with people to succeed. Xbox Live and Playstation Network also ensure ways to keep track of and continue contact with other players, whether these players are friends, family, or other people in the world.  The gaming world provides a whole other dimension to socialize and converse with people. 

Game consoles, most notably the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, have also adapted to performing a variety of other functions.  Many now present multimedia capabilities, such as listening to music, watching movies, and even directly speaking to others via a webcam of sorts. Several also have internet browsers now, which can be hugely advantageous and a sort of safety net in hectic circumstances. Not to mention showing a large group of people something important on the internet is a lot easier when it is done on a television rather than a small laptop screen.

What is more concerning is the notion that many people still have about video games rotting the mind. The more it is studied, the more it is shown that gaming leads to many positive changes in the brain.  From intense puzzle solving games like Portal to simplistic, quirky games like Tetris, research shows that cognitive skills improve over time, leading to higher memory and reasoning skills. Even fast-paced, action based games have been found to provide the player with sharper visual acuity, a better sense of spatial perception, and the ability to pick out objects in a scene. And let's not forget the physical health benefits gained from a few WiiFit sessions.

What it comes down to is moderation.  Video games have been proven to be addicting, and like any good thing too much can be a major problem.  It isn't that video games are inherently bad, or that they're designed to be harmful, but instead our own choices with them prove to be our downfall.  Perpetuating the idea that video games are massive time-wasters just isn't an objective stance anymore.  They can be as useful as they can be destructive, and that is what needs to be kept in mind.