With technology undergoing endless developments, so are the various forms of entertainment. One is video games. The recognition and prize pool of video game competitions are rising to millions and there are competitive e-sport teams in colleges. There are video games for every occasion – for family reunion, life-simulators, meditation, and etc. However, there are a number of people, particularly parents, who believe that video games are preventing students from their academic work and even induce violence. 

Ashley Kim, a senior in Cresskill High School, plays several different kinds of video games but she is focused on Splatoon 3 at the moment. She started because she played the previous game and “really enjoyed it and was excited for the content in the new game.” She plays whenever she has free time regardless of the day. It totals to about six hours of playing time per week. She claims, “It’s a good way to get away from stress and schoolwork.” However, there are a set of responsibilities she has before playing. She has to complete all her schoolwork and she never has all nighters playing video games because she gets tired easily. “Overall, video games have a positive impact in my life.”

Senior Nina Toups plays Genshin Impact on mobile and Breath of the Wild, a Zelda game available on the Nintendo Switch. When asked why she started playing the game, Nina said, “I heard it was similar to BOTW and I like open world games,”. The main reason why Nina plays video games is that when she is bored she would rather play than spend all her time in TikTok or scrolling through YouTube. Therefore, she cannot play often but when she does, she plays 10 hours a day. Nina admits that video games do have a negative impact in her life, she said, “I get addicted too easily and it affects my productivity,”. 

For Cresskill students, video games are an integral part of their lives. It often serves as a break from the academic pressure that students are put under. The issue with video games seems to be its addictiveness and that there is something as too much video games. Do you play video games? If you do, how do you control yourself from playing too much?