Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, XBOX, XBOX 360, Playstation 1, 2 and 3, Wii, and PSP, to name just a few, are the video game consoles that are keeping the children, and more increasingly, the adults of the present world occupied. After school sports and activities are no longer as appealing as they used to be; millions of children are instead sitting on their butts all day long in front of a television screen straining their eyes to play the newest video games. It is common nowadays to hear people discussing how fun that last football, soccer, baseball, or basketball games was, only to find out that their feet had not even graced the terrain, instead they had been playing on their newly bought console. Sports have always been known to be a great way to stay fit and have fun at the same time, however as video games become more popular; the excitement in sports for children seems to be diminishing. Instead of joining a sports league or organizing a friendly game outside in the fresh air, people are buying an extra controller for their friends, grabbing a bag of chips, and lazing around on the couch in their stuffy homes playing video games. Recently, video games are being upgraded to look more realistic, having more features of a ‘real’ field, and a ‘real’ game, however, if one wants the sport to feel and look real, one could always get up off the couch and take a look outside, where they are sure to find an open playing field all offering a ‘real’ game experience! Some consoles, such as the Wii, have made it so that playing their console does offer some effort on the part of the player, however, despite this there is still limited movement and exercise offered when playing. It is important that parents today explain to their children the importance of exercise and sport in health, and the downfalls to video game obsessions. Presently, even some schools have been promoting video games, taking down the monkey bars and other various ‘dangerous’ climbing equipment, and telling children to go inside to play their games instead. Not only does a person limit themselves to minimal exercise when playing, but most also damage their eyes by sitting to close to the television. As well, constant use of the carpal (wrist) and phalange (finger) joints can result in pain and inflammation around those areas. The best advice regarding the use of video games is the same advice one would give about eating sweets, one word: moderation, it is fine to play a game here or there, but to spend six hours on end sitting in the same spot playing video games is just ridiculous. Join a sports team or organize your own game if you have that much free time! Next time you are about to go home to turn on your console, STOP!

Do you really want to waste your precious time inside playing mindless video games when you could play outside with your friends in the beautiful sunshine?