Ontopic Obama on Video Games: "a distraction, a diversion."

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Nov 11, 2008
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College graduations are happening all over the nation, most of which feature some famous speaker who talks about achieving your dreams and never giving up. But not so with Hampton University's commencement speaker for this year, President Barack Obama, who used his opportunity to speak to the next generation of the American work force regarding his views on video games.
In short, Obama isn't a big gamer. After asserting that he himself isn't terribly familiar with gaming, citing specifically "Ipads, Xboxes, and Playstations", he called these devices, along with Ipods, "a distraction, a diversion."

His position essentially argues that the entertainment obtained from said devices is not constructive for "emancipation", and will continue to create troubles for future generations if consumed as is. Check out a snippet from his speech below:
"With iPods and iPads; Xboxes and PlayStations - none of which I know how to work - information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation."

"All of this is not only putting new pressures on you. It is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy."

Although this isn't the first time Obama has expressed these kinds of thoughts on gaming, it is probably the most direct.
He's right.
 
which is exactly why it's fucking needed

apart from WoW - a friend of mine has multiple level 80s with ~7000 gearscores. i never see him anymore. he's too busy running about azeroth on a fucking purple dinosaur
 
Same for TV, drinking, etc. In moderation it's fine. Excessive video gaming is not a healthy lifestyle choice.
 
He's right; I feel guilty playing video games for hours on end...


Fly on the other hand... :waw: How many hours have you logged on L4D2??
 
But seriously. Can video games be a huge time sink? Of course. But cant auto repair, painting warhammer figurines, dating multiple chicks, kite fighting, or landscaping also be a time sink? wtf does it matter?

edit: And I'd like to point out that Obama is a HUGE basketball fan. Waste of time??!?!?
 
But seriously. Can video games be a huge time sink? Of course. But cant auto repair, painting warhammer figurines, dating multiple chicks, kite fighting, or landscaping also be a time sink? wtf does it matter?

edit: And I'd like to point out that Obama is a HUGE basketball fan. Waste of time??!?!?

Yes, but you are accomplishing something worthwhile in the bolded activities.