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Are Video Games Addicting?
By Cindy | August 11, 2007
Being a little bit older, I have seen the progression of video games ….
At first there was the good old fashioned pin ball machine. Kids would line up at burger joints etc just to play them.
The first video game that we could play at home was “Pong”. If I’m correct it came out in 1978 or 1979. 
You hooked it up to your TV and could be played by one or two players.
Each player had a paddle which was just a line that could be moved up and down. The ball would go back and forth and it was your duty to knock it back to the other side. It’s really kind of funny to think of it now.
When I was expecting Amy, I was on disability most of the time. I wasn’t “on bed rest” but was ordered to take it easy. I spent hours and hours playing pong.
I remember when Pac-Man first came out. Amy was just a baby. Her dad was an avid bowler and we went to the bowling alley at least 3 times a week. I truly became addicted to the game.
I would play Pac-Man the entire time we were at the bowling alley. Amy would quietly play in her stroller next to me. I wanted to get to the end of the game … how many points could a person achieve? Each week I strived to beat my best score.
It was really kind of funny, but when I went home and went to bed I would actually dream about Pac-Man. I was truly obsessed.
A few years later Nintendo came out. It was the latest greatest craze. I bought one and it came with the Mario Brothers game. My son Brian became quite good at the game. Amy also mastered the game pretty quickly. The two of them would spend hours in the den playing Mario Brothers and other games.
Now 20 years later it’s almost unbelievable how fantastic the graphics are on video games. There are many games to choose from. Some are educational and some are just for fun.
In my opinion video games are addicting. It’s easy to sit there playing them for hours and hours on end. Constantly trying to beat the last score …
Kids truly enjoy playing video games. It’s up to the parents to monitor the time and types of games played.
Till next time …
Cindy 
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