How NOT to Game for the Good of Your Health

If you are someone who likes to game, then you might well know that it actually has a lot of health benefits, from boosting fine motor skills to helping you de-stress and even improving memory as you age.

However, it is totally fair to say that gaming can also be pretty bad for your health if you do it wrong, so with that in mind, why not check out our guide of how NOT to game for the good of your health, so you can hopefully avoid the pitfalls and get all the benefits of your favorite pass time…

1. The All-Nighter Badge of Honor

Who needs sleep? It’s just the time when your body heals, refreshes, and keeps your brain from turning into a zombie. For the perfect recipe to mess with your health, turn your screen on as soon as you get home from work and keep playing until it is light again, Sure, your eyes will be burning and red, you’ll feel like poop and you won’t be able to function the next day, but hey, you’ll have reached a new level of seven, right?

2. Snack Your Way Through

Why pause the game to eat a balanced meal when you have a perfectly good stash of snacks within arm’s reach? A true gamer’s diet consists of a delicate balance of chips, soda, and those candies that somehow fuse to your furniture. Bonus points if you’ve ever found a snack that went MIA during a gaming marathon last week. It’s not just food; it’s a flavorful adventure!

3. Posture, What Posture?

Sit up straight? Please, we’re not in the 18th century anymore. The more you resemble a question mark while sitting, the closer you are to achieving gaming nirvana. Let’s morph into human pretzels and show that furniture who’s boss. Your chiropractor will thank you for the job security.

4. Exercise is Something Your Character Does

Move over, exercise; we have a new health guru in town, and its name is Static Sitting. Why walk to Mordor when you can fast-travel? Real gamers know that the only cardio they need is the thumb workout from mashing buttons and the occasional victory lap to the fridge.

5. Friends, Who Needs Them?

Social interactions? In the real world? That’s what headsets and multiplayer lobbies are for. Why go outside when there is online backgammon to be played and zombie flesh-eaters to be killed in the comfort of your own home? Let’s stay indoors, where the light is artificial, and the only greenery is the color palette option for your character’s armor.

6. The Vitamin D Deficiency Achievement

Sunlight is overrated. Who needs natural vitamin D when you’ve got the warm, soothing glow of the screen to sustain you? Besides, if you really needed a tan, game developers would’ve surely added a ‘sunbathe’ feature by now.

7. The Hydration Hoax

Water? I think you mean energy drinks, the elixir of the gods, and gamers alike. Who needs water, which makes up 60% of your body (boring!), when you can have caffeine and sugar coursing through your veins? It’s like your bloodstream is throwing its own little rave.

8. The Equipment Excess

Why have a minimalistic setup when you can have every gaming accessory known to humankind? A racing chair that you never use for actual racing games? Check. Enough LED lights to signal the International Space Station? Double-check. It’s not just a gaming setup; it’s a life-size Tetris game of hardware.

9. The “I Can Quit Anytime” Trophy

Admit it, gaming is more addictive than that soap opera your grandma watches. But we wear our denial like a badge of honor. Gaming isn’t taking over our lives; we’re exploring virtual worlds for the good of humanity. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it, right?

10. The Volume Vortex

If your neighbors can’t hear the sound effects of your game, is your surround sound system even working? The real test of a good gaming session is how many noise complaints you can rack up. Because everyone knows, the louder the explosions, the more immersive the experience.

As you can see, for all of the benefits of gaming ( and there are benefits despite what your mom might have told you when you were a kid, there are a lot of potential pitfalls gamers need to be mindful of if they want to be healthy, happy and well adjusted without the games taking over. Have fun but be sensible!