NPR and their ever random programming had a guest on their Science Friday segment that talked about gaming being good for people.
Jane McGonigal, the guest speaker, gives an interesting viewpoint where gaming is more about overcoming an obstacle that would otherwise not be present, and while overcoming said obstacle, it produces a positive stress on people.
Some interesting facts were dropped during the program such as:
By the time they turn 21, the average American kid will have spent 10,000 hours playing online games…That’s as many hours as they will have spent attending all of middle and high school combined.
The majority of gaming for young people under 18 in this country is face-to-face game time with friends or family
If you play more than 21 hours a week, you start to see a decrease in the positive impacts. And at 28 hours a week, you start to see negative impacts in terms of social anxiety or depression.
Many examples are discussed during the program about how using gaming incorporated into everyday life can help with self betterment.
There is much more interesting topics about gaming discussed in the show which you can listen to below.
The interview along with a full transcript can also be found on the NPR site.
