Gaming—A Blessing or a Curse?

We all know the impact that gaming has on the world. But is it a blessing or a curse? It may just be a curse.
According to Gambling Deals, studies find that gamers lose 912 hours of sleep each year. This isn’t a surprise since many kids and young adults play video games obsessively. Gaming is a way to escape all that’s going on in the world, whether it’s the pandemic, school, or boredom in general.
Studies also found that the average time spent playing games daily is between 5 to 6 hours, which equates to up to 35 – 42 hours a week. This has a harmful effect on kids and young adults, steering them away from important schoolwork. This leads to the disappointing statistic that 52% of gamers are missing their assignments, in school and at work. 62% of gamers admit to skipping school or work.
This is truly alarming for young adults. The average amount of sleep that someone should get is around 7 to 9 hours a day, according to the National Sleep Foundation. 51% of gamers said they sleep for 5 to 6 hours a day, which means they’re missing an estimated total of 912 hours of sleep a year. Lack of sleep impacts everything that you do in life. It’s troubling to think about how a lack of sleep can put you at risk for many health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Many of these health conditions shorten your life expectancy. It’s a problem that gaming is now impacting so many areas of the lives of those who play for long periods of time. GamblingDeals.com has also found that high volumes of playing time can decrease a gamer’s mental and physical wellbeing.
What are the most common games people are playing – or what are the games keeping them awake? GamblingDeals.com reports that players who are up late at night are playing Minecraft (21%), Rust (17%), Fortnite (14%), Among Us (12%), and Call of Duty: War Zone (10%).
Along with all of these alarming statistics comes the fact that extreme gaming also causing insomnia (73%), and nightmares (76%). You can imagine the drastic effect a game like Call of Duty, a war game, can have on a person’s mental health. When it comes to physical health, the most common problems gamers face are back pains (30%), dry eyes (26%), hand cramps (18%), headaches (11%), and lack of concentration (9%).
In the end, we understand how the Pandemic has impacted people. Because of the pandemic and lockdowns, 80% of people are playing more video games. This could lead to the conclusion that gaming might be a curse for kids and young adults worldwide, and it’s not looking any brighter from here.