World of Research! LOL! G2G

us.blizzard.com

I have chosen to write my research paper on the negative effects of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games).  As I have talked to my friends about my topic almost everyone has had some connection to the topic.  Many have known someone who has fallen into excessive usage of these types of games, or have been the excessive users themselves.  Stories of people being addicted to MMORPGs (such as World of Warcraft) and the terrible consequences in those stories made me interested in this topic.

My research has yielded unexpected results so far.  Many researchers seem eager to defend online gaming, and portray online socializing and relationships as equal to non-computer-mediated socializing and relationships.  I have had a tough choice with this paper.  I have been debating whether I want to take the easier road and argue on the side of researchers that MMORPGs can be healthy, even helpful for socializing, or whether I want to argue what I actually believe, and try to prove that MMORPGs are bad for people and relationships.  I have decided that I am going to try to argue what I really think and feel, and try my best to find legitimate evidence to back it up.

To all of you young men, to whom this blog is targeted, I just want to say limit carefully your gaming if you even play at all.  I was into video games in junior high.  In high school I got busy with other things, and my time spent gaming gradually decreased.  Looking back I am glad that I moved away from video games in high school, and learned to interact with people socially.  I was really shy when I was younger, and it would have been a lot easier to just play video games.  However, overcoming my shyness was something that I worked hard on with the Lord.  Becoming more outgoing was a spiritual experience, for which that I am very grateful.  Even so, as a missionary, I looked back and regretted the time I spent playing video games that I could have used to develop talents or increase in knowledge.

I want to end with a quote.  In his landmark talk to the Aaronic Priesthood, “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries,” Elder Ballard counseled, “[Limit] the amount of time spent playing computer games. How many kills you can make in a minute with a computer game will have zero effect on your capacity to be a good missionary.”  He is absolutely right.

Keep up the good work preparing for your missions!  They’ll come quickly, so use the time you have to prepare wisely.