Read Books or Video Games?

What is best for your leisure time?

We all have been nagged for playing video games for too long. The Tetris game with a very low resolution was much more fun than today’s high resolution highly engaging RPGs. You had much more fun playing Super Mario or going crazy with the Road rash games.

At that time, I was torn between my hobby of reading and the tempting video games. Well, my strict parents made sure I stick to my books.

And books were fun too. Reading classics felt too distant but made you wonder how that society used to be. You would find yourself travelling to the era of railroads or to a distant land where roads don’t reach.

In the 90s, games were not as advanced or engaging as they are now. Now games can be turned into TV series and not the other way round. You must have seen Witcher and eagerly waiting for The Last of Us. You loved playing these games.

and now you can see your favourite TV stars depicting your favourite game characters.

Which is better — Reading or Gaming

Reading gives space to your imagination. While you play games, you are immersed in the gameplay and think nothing else. You might argue that there are games that can make you think, make you devise strategies and can be as nerve-racking as whodunnit novels.

I have played one indie game where you have to escape from a killer. You and your teammates have to survive for some time and get keys for the door. And yeah, I always would get killed.

It might sound gruesome, frightening at times. But it made me think if I ever get into such a situation where I would have to run for life, I would pray for a quick and easy death.

While reading similar stories, you will put on reading glasses and step on the protagonist shoes. It might not feel that realistic as playing that game character, which can make your heart pound.

Reading can make you imagine things, give your brain better exercise while you relax. Playing games can also put your brain to work and can take your mind off the everyday stress. You can escape from reality with both means. But that depends on the quality.

If you are tapping on your phone playing candy crush, you might feel it relaxing, but your brain doesn’t have much to think about. It is addictive. I played that game till I reached level 700 something, and then I lost my phone. I never installed that game again, lest I find myself tapping almost every hour.

You will find it fun while you play, itch to play it again, but after you are done or stuck on some level, you will feel that you have wasted so much of your free time. You could have done something constructive or read a book on how to make friends.

Impact on health

Too much of both activities will make your head spin. Both activities require your eyes to focus. You might be reading a book or e-book. In both situations, you strain your eyes. More in the case of an e-book because of blue lights emitted from your digital devices. And if you love binge-reading, sticking to these devices might be difficult. You will get headaches, eye strain, teary eyes or dry eyes.

In extreme cases, you will get blurry or double visions. When you used to binge-read books, you would only get a headache. It would get better with a sound sleep. But after using a digital device, it is much harder to fall asleep.

For gaming too, you have issues of getting computer vision syndrome. As engaging the game is with its high-resolution screen, the blue lights affect your eyes. Wearing blue light glasses can make your leisure time on this device enjoyable. You can wear these glasses and get less eye strain or fatigue.

Glasses will not be able to completely eradicate eye strains and other eye health issues. It will give you clear and comfortable vision as long as you wear them. If you go on binge-ing and staring at these screens for hours, you are inviting problems for your eyes. Leisure time is fun only if you do not extend it.

The Verdict

Both reading and gaming are fun. You can immerse yourself in a different world and have a fun time de-stressing. If you have an imaginative mind, reading will be fun. You can enjoy gaming more by participating in the action. For me, it’s both. It’s the quality that matters.