Online games: Fun or trouble?

As a young girl, Marley Balasco began playing online games: Family Feud, a television game show that was recreated online, and Bejeweled, an online puzzle game. She said online games are not a serious addiction for her, saying she has enough self-control to "not to let it run (my) life," but added that "there are a few exceptions" when people do become addicted to online games.

"It's a replacement of their social life," said Balasco, a 21-year-old senior international studies major from Barrington, R.I.

Many Norwich students play online games daily while others play just two to three times a month.

Grace Fitzpatrick, 18, a freshman civil engineering major from Falmouth, Maine, started playing games online when she was 7 years old and now plays online "three or four times a week," spending up to three hours per week.

Allyson Zocco, 19, a freshman psychology major from Epping, N.H., said that she uses online games once a month and normally for a half an hour or more. She doesn't keep track of when she plays online games, she plays occasionally when she has free time.

She plays "whenever (I am) really bored," which amounts to every couple of weeks. Snake and "Pop It, where you pop bubbles until you have none left with different colors," are some of her favorite online games

"They are fun; they can also be very addicting, which leads me to spending more time playing online games when I do," according to Christine Daniels, 22, a senior criminal justice major from Concord, N.H.

There are a wide variety of online games offered on the internet and some NU students enjoy certain games more than others.

Bloons (an online game where the player throw darts at balloons, popping as many as possible) is a game that Darrell Gleaves, 19, a freshman accounting and business major from Burlington, N.J., enjoys because it's fun and entertaining.

Balasco said the games on Facebook are some of her favorites.

Some students play online games rather than doing their homework.

"When I get stuck (doing homework) I would rather go play a game and clear my head a little bit and then come back to it," Balasco said. "It's not necessarily a distraction but it can be if I get really stuck on playing my game."

Daniels states that when she takes a break from her homework to play online games she "just (gets) addicted and it just takes much longer than a break." Sometimes when she becomes sidetracked while playing online games she "thought that's it's been a half an hour when it's really been two (hours)."

Gleaves said he plays online games more than he does his work, but he still manages to get all of his work done on time.

"I honestly almost skipped class once to play Bejeweled, there was five minutes left until class and my roommate left," Fitzpatrick said. "I'm sitting there playing and I'm winning," but then realized class was more important, stopping the game and left for class just in time.

Online games are relaxing and playing them to fill up some free time rather is enjoyable, Balasco said. She states, "I enjoy challenging myself and trying to beat the computer," because it makes her concentrate and focus.

Procrastination is the main reason she plays video games, said Zocco.

Because she doesn't have her video game consoles, such as Play Station 2 or Xbox 360, on campus, online games are her only option, Fitzpatrick said.

Some players do become addicted to playing online games.

According to "Online Games: Game vs. Addiction," a Norton Library article, "Playing online or computer games is an innocent hobby that can become a pathological behavioral problem, in which playing games becomes more important than other aspects of life. Addicted kids spend hours on the computer to the exclusion of other activities. They lose interest in their school, fail to turn in homework assignments, and their grades suffer."

Daniels states people are bored and "they don't want to do work and if they are doing something other than work they think that they are being productive."

Students say Norwich should not block online games.

"(Online games are) a stress reliever because if they take away online games then what else are we going to resort to," Balasco said.

"You pay money to come here and nothing should be blocked on the computer at all," Zocco said. Because some people are addicted doesn't mean online games should be taken away from everyone, she said.

Daniels said. "… If people want to play games let them play games. If people don't want to do their work then don't do their work, then that's their own fault."