Gaming distractions can get out of control
Video games may prove a problem when studying
Reported by Lina Chung
Daljit Singh, a first-year Langara business management student, failed a test three times when he was in school in India because he spent so much time playing a video game.
November and December are two months where a lot of video game come out. It is also time for exams for college students. Craig Lee, a clinical psychologist who specializes in video game addiction, said students should reduce gaming time and focus on more important things like exams.
“If I have a final coming up and I’m playing games for too long, instead of spending four hours a night playing games, I would cut it to two hours or three.” said Lee. “I would use the rest of the time studying for my final.”
The fourth time Singh had to write the exam, he uninstalled the game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (commonly known as PUBG) from his phone so he could focus on studying.
“I’m worried that if I delete this game, what would I do in my free time?” said Singh, who re-installed the game later.
A high score in social aspects
Dimos Kefalas, a first-year fine arts student at Langara is not concerned with his video game-playing. According to Kefalas, he’s in school for 10 hours a day, and when he gets home he usually plays League of Legends remotely with his siblings and friends for two to three hours.
“I just enjoy the social aspect of it,” Kefalas said.
Time to power down
For students who are concerned about their gaming, Lee recommended tracking the amount of hours they play each day.
“If you are playing games for four hours or more per day, for more days than not…you’re kind of creeping into that addiction side,” Lee said.
For those who want to decrease video game playing, Lee suggested setting goals to gradually reduce the time playing, in addition to developing and re-engaging with hobbies, sports, work and friends.
“Reaching out to the counselling department of their school is also a good idea,” Lee said.
The World Health Organization included ‘gaming disorder’ in the International Classification of Diseases last year.
Contributor, Maxim Fossey, expresses his opinion on the subject: Opinion: Gaming can be distracting, but also can be manageable
Craig Lee, a clinical psychologist, speaks on how gaming isn’t always bad, but needs to be kept under control:
Lee speaks on how to manage excessive game time:
Lee on when gaming distractions become addictions:
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