Editor's Note: Better Living Through Gaming

Does playing videogames qualify as self-improvement? If you have chronic pain, ADHD or simply want to learn to play piano, it's entirely possible.

Read Full Article

Your parents really hated video games, didn't they? Damn, I can't think of what my life would have turned out like had I been forced into any of these activities merely to play on my computer, instead of gentle coercion at most. I don't think I would have learned moderation on my own grounds in any respect had I been subjected to the same punishment.

It wasn't really punishment, just a strong incentive. And I learned how to play piano! I have no regrets.

Sounds like you had great parents. This reminded me of the fact that we as kids couldn't even watch TV until after dinner, and even then it was only for 1 hour. I was 17 when I got my first game machine (Sega Genesis) and could only play it Friday to Sunday. Personally it seems to me that the TV has become a babysitter these days. However it does make me appreciate the fact that now I can play whenever I want. However I thank my parents for getting me involved in a variety of extracurricular activities as a kid. To this day I feel like I persue a lot of activities. For me, I feel like video games should be a reward, as in fun time away from work, and other daily activities. Interesting reminder of how things have changed.