Is Gaming Good Or Bad For Dreaming?

What a tough question. Gaming fanatics will definitely think it’s good, whereas gaming disbelievers will say nay. Basically, the extremists and hypochondriacs will definitely be against it: because terrorism. And guns. And stuff.

Recently–I mean over the last few months–the media has been flooded with gaming stories. “It’s not about guns, it’s about gaming!” and rubbish like that. People have written to the United States government to have gaming development scrutinised. “Things must change!” they said.

Guess what. This article isn’t about that. Thankfully.

Guess what–again. This article is about why gaming might actually be good for dreaming.

Sleep. The wonderful thing everyone loves. There’s probably nothing better than sleep. For the most of us, it’s warm and comfortable. Ever wondered about your dreams? I have. I’ve watched and read about dreams, and the thing about dreams is: we know absolutely nothing about them.

Some say it’s a coping mechanism, others say it’s psychological. Some say it helps us deal with sad realities and past experiences. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is this recent study (which has no real backing).

Jayne Gackenbach at MacEwan University in Canada has discovered that gamers could have more control over their dreams, when compared to non-gamers. Gamers would rather interactive and play their dreams as if it was a game, opposed to common folk who would wait for it to unfold like a movie.

Because gamers are more prone to fight back, and make decisions more regularly, they have the ability to allegedly take control of their dreams.

While there’s no real proof about this, it seems really possible. There could be a hint of truth. I’m sure, looking back, we can both agree that we’ve been able to control a few more dreams than our non-gamer friends. Wait. You don’t talk to your friends about dreams?

Okay, then.

Let’s step back from whether or not the study is true and rather use the information as a conversation starter. Do you think gaming helps you control your dreams, or at least make your dreams a bit more interesting? Perhaps you sometimes think you’re playing a game in a dream, or you see the overlays of a game in your dream.

While lucid dreaming has become quite popular in this digital generation, perhaps gaming is another answer to enjoying your mind in a semi-conscious and paralyzed state. You now get to play games when you’re sleeping, where the only thing is, the game is a lot more exclusive. Take that Sony and Microsoft!