Blog Assignment #3: Video Game Addiction

I have always played video-games but I've never been close to being addicted by it. My father owned a toy store when I was little so I guess that came with a few benefits. I really can't understand how people can let it go that far, or the how the people around them can let it happen. When I was little I was only allowed to play when I was sick, when it was bad weather or maybe an hour or two in the evening before bedtime. These days’ children are allowed to play as much as they want. Whenever they want to.
I am one of the 8 million that play World of Warcraft. I play when I’m bored, at the evening when I’m done with my university studies etc. I actually play with a few of my real life friends. We play WoW together a few hours/week. Like people are watching a movie together (and we do that to ;)) It's a way of relaxing for me, but at the same time I have a great life away from the computer.

One of my friends from when I was a little kid was so deep into playing MMOG that he even bought items in the game for real cash! He played every free minute he had and eventually his parents had only one choice. They brought the internet modem with them to work. He was only allowed to surf 30minutes per evening. He was a normal guy. He played soccer and floorball like everyone else. But when he began to play that game (this was before WoW) he changed in a second. Today he is back to normal, and that’s because of his close ones who did what they had to do.

The problem is that parents put their kids in front of the computer when they don't have time with them. The kids play more and more. Eventually they will get a bigger interest in it, which in bad cases can lead to addiction. The parents stay happy because they don't have to look after their own children, driving them to sports etc. So with this stressed society we live in today it will become more and more common with these kinds of addictions.

We can't point how people should live their own lives, but when they have a problem we should be there to help and support them. The most important thing is to show your friends that you are there for them when they need it.

Blog Assignment #2: The State of the Planet

Of course we need to do something to save our planet. Take a look at the global warming and there is no doubt that we all need to contribute if we want our offspring to live with a normal climate.

As a result of our pollutions there are more and more natural disasters all over the world. Here in Sweden there have been relatively few, but the hurricane that struck us in the beginning of 2007 and the landslides in the end of 2006 are just pointers to where we might be heading. The damage the hurricane did to the landscape and to the people that lived there where tremendous.

I shudder when I think that this can actually happen to me, or to my close ones someday in a not to distant future if we don't care about our environment. To predict our future will be as hard as to win on the lottery, even if we begin to do something, it might not be enough. But we have to try, we owe the future that much.

An extremely precarious time is a head of us, even if you only take the buss instead of driving your car; it's at least a step in the right direction. I always take my bike to the station, and from there I take either the train or the bus to the university, instead of driving my own car. It's a small step in the right direction.

The future might be intimidating for us, but it can also be a very bright one if we work hard for it. Stop driving that car of yours and take the bike, don't be so lazy. Try to save some energy; you don't need to have the TV, your stereo and your computer on at the same time. You can't use them all at the same time.

Steven