At 30, running a business and working as a technology consultant without a moment to breathe, I bought a PlayStation.
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Not that I'd have much time or patience to use it.
Most of the time it sat on the desk, switched off and collecting dust — but buying it was still a genuinely enjoyable experience.
That enjoyment rests, first of all, on emotional deprivation: as a teenager, this was a purchase I simply couldn't afford.
Second, I still believe that an hour of gaming a week is a gift to the mind and soul, even if I'm far from actually putting that into practice.
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There are many forms of entertainment, but gaming is the only experience that demands the simultaneous use of your eyes, your ears, your hands, and your complete attention.
The advantage of gaming is that it forces disconnection — and if you're an especially busy person, a gaming session may be the only stretch of time in which you'll manage to fully unplug and clear your head.
Certain games also carry cognitive benefits: improved reaction time to sudden events, spatial awareness, attention to detail, strategic thinking, and a competitive edge.
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So naturally it all comes down to dosage. If your teenager is spending the best years of his life on video games, you'd do well to take the necessary steps to get him doing something more productive with himself.
But as long as the dosage is low and controlled and isn't harming his social relationships, let him enjoy it.
You may not realize it yet, but some of his most important professional skills for the future might be born precisely there.