Do video games reduce your dreaming skills?
Since you go neutral and forget about RCs throughout the game?
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Do video games reduce your dreaming skills?
Since you go neutral and forget about RCs throughout the game?
Funny, I think of this a lot. There are two sides to this. One, is that as any sane person knows, video game worlds are not real. This is important, because neither are dreams. Even when immersed in a game, you'll always know in the back of your mind that it really is not happening, and that you can always get off the couch and turn off the TV. In this case, I would think that video games, coupled with reality checks at other times in the day, would make you have the same experience within a dream. I cannot quite say if it is related to video games, but I have noticed this phenomenon often in my dreams. For instance, you may have a dream where you fearlessly jump from a high place without worry, because you know you will be OK. I personally think that, while often just stupid dream logic, this could also be attributed to the fact that, almost unconsciously, in some way or another you know you are just in a dream; this is exactly like playing a video game where you know that the video game isn't real, though you may be totally immersed in it.
The flip side of the coin is something I've noticed often in my dreams as well; passing off dreams as video games. For example, you dream that you are in a video game. This is a step up from a simple nonlucid dream, because it means that you acknowledge that what you see is definitely not real, however you just don't realize it is a dream. This, of course, is bad for me, because it means I can pass off everything in the dream world as being a video game, which could explain most anything that would happen. Dream logic keeps me from realizing that if I was really playing a video game, I'd be outside of the 'world' indirectly controlling it.
Another thought is, how neutral do you go? Is it that much more neutral than real life? Take this to mind; as you typed out your post, where you completely experiencing the world? Were you listening to the clack of your keyboard, observing everything on your screen and around it in your view, consciously controlling every finger movement to hit the correct keys? Of course not. What about those times when you walk from place to place, so into your own thoughts you hardly remember how you arrive somewhere? The list goes on. As you can see, this "autopilot" you may fall into playing a video game happens in many other points in life as well. The only problem with a video game, as far as I see it, is not that we go into neutral, but that the programmers can make anything possible, making reality checks usually seem worthless.
Anyway, I don't want to pass any of this off as fact, they are only my thoughts of course, but I think most of this is pretty logical when you think about it.
I second the fact that I constantly dream that I am playing a game, so my mind can get away with alot of stuff that normally I would notice.
Unless you play from morning to night, you should be fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by pheenix345
After all, I have gone weeks without doing a Reality Check and my recall was perfectly fine, so I assume that others would be the same.
Video games and other visual stimulus can reduce your dreaming skills, if you engage them right before you are to fall asleep.
Otherwise, it's just another part of your world. eg: Would you really know you were playing a video game if that is only what you were exposed too?
That is a stereotypical/narrow assumption.Quote:
Originally Posted by pheenix345
I don't go neutral. When I'm playing a game, if it glitches up, or lags too much, or something rare happens, I reality check.
I play world of warcraft :P
sometimes I have dreams about it. My dream recall is just dandy. I just remembered about 5 dreams last night.