The Halo Effect

The Halo Effect

There are few things so distracting when one is trying to fall asleep as to have a rowdy group of boys just down the hall playing a loud video game and making excited exclamations (“Wow! A triple kill!”) in the early hours of the morning. The effect of such game playing, may, however, have a much smaller effect on the newly-made insomniac than on the ones who are actually using the game excessively. But it’s not just video games that can affect a person for good or for worse. From cell phones to Facebook to Halo, none of us are denied the benefits and conveniences of modern technology, especially here at BYU where connectivity is essential and independence is fresh. Unfortunately, this means that none of us can escape the consequences of this system, especially when a certain facet of technology is allowed to play a disproportionately large role in our lives.

Our use (and overuse) of technology does affect our mental capacities and tendencies. We’ve all heard the old adage “you are what you eat.” This is not true in a literal sense, but it does convey the link between input and physical condition. Likewise, our brains are shaped by the thoughts and messages we “feed” it – or fail to feed it. Intensive study yields greater knowledge and understanding, while too much video-gaming can numb our concentration and even result in death, as was the case for an overzealous gamer from South Korea who played Starcraft for fifty hours straight and then died. Though such extreme results are rare, they should stand as a warning of the type of effect that losing touch with reality can have upon all of us, to a lesser degree.

Technology, even in its advanced and high-fidelity state, is virtually always inferior to traditional interaction. For example, a person may have over a thousand friends on Facebook, but how much do each of those relationships mean if every one of this individual’s interactions occur over cyberspace? One or two good relationships can be worth more than all the superficial Facebook friends in the world. If, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a real, living human being worth? Certainly not a two or three line of “status” on a social networking site. The point is not that Facebook is bad, but that real relationships are better, and that when the former starts to hurt the latter, it is time to stop and reconsider. The same can be said of video and computer games, watching TV, surfing the net, and even texting friends. Too often students are on the phone when they could be conversing with the people all around them. Too often they let their priorities slide and their focus dim because they while away unnecessarily large portions of their time in front of a screen. “It’s harmless,” they say, but in reality they are giving up all the progress they could have made by using their time otherwise, only to accomplish nothing, except climb a few points higher on an online ranking of players, a meaningless measurement by spiritual or mental standards.

A friend I know is the perfect example of this problem. Shy and socially awkward as a young child, his parents home-schooled him in fourth grade. He locked himself in his room all day. They thought he was studying. Eventually, someone discovered that he was actually playing a computer game for hours each day – Age of Empires. It is a good game, involving strategy, and based on real history. Nevertheless, it is also an addictive game, and it was taking the place of his studies. His parents stopped him from playing the game, and afterwards placed strict limits on its use. They sent him back to public school, where he excelled and eventually graduated as one of two valedictorians in his graduating class of four hundred. He’s now on a mission. It’s scary to think of how much he could have lost, had he and his parents let video-gaming control his life, take over his studies.

Most of us may not have so much at stake, especially since we’ve all made the decision to come here to BYU and are likely moving ourselves in the general direction of progress. However, I’ve seen members of my campus ward who text their friends during fast and testimony meeting. I’ve had roommates who blare loud music and play video games on Sundays. The problem is not so much what they are doing, but what they have to give up so that they can do it.

Fortunately, there is an alternative. I’ve lived all of my life without having a cell phone, and I didn’t get a Facebook account until recently. I have never used Xbox, play station, Nintendo, game boy or any other gaming devices. I have only played one computer game. When I was growing up, we had a TV in the house but no stations – we watched a movie together about once a week. Computer use in our home was strictly monitored – only our parents knew the password. When I came to college and finally got a laptop of my own, it was tempting to splurge and spend lots of time on it. I tried this, but found to my surprise that it only left me further behind in my classes, less emotionally satisfied and more drained of energy. That’s why I encourage everyone to take a week off, to cut back on their computer use and TV-watching to bare essentials. You might just be surprised how much time you have left over for more worthwhile things.

-Jake Shumway