Have you been finding yourself in hot water with just about everyone in your life? Have your parents got angry with you because you didn’t clean up your room even after they had repeatedly told you to do so? Have your teachers been criticizing you for not handing in your homework on time? Maybe you are even in trouble with yourself. Are you yawning (打哈欠) all the time? Do the things that used to interest you no longer make you feel good?

Did you answer “yes” to some or even all of these questions? Do you consider yourself to be a gamer? If so, then maybe it’s time to turm off your computer and read this article carefully.

More and more study has proved that too much gaming can change your brain structure (构造). It can also lead to some physical illnesses that will remain with you for a lifetime. Your love for games is taking away your freedom to control your own future. This is not a joke!

Luckily, there are ways for you to help yourself so that you can start feeling good about your life again. The first step is to accept that you’ve got a problem. You can say this to your friends. Next, spend some time learning about what is happening inside your brain as a result of too much gaming. Think about how you feel when you are playing your favorite games. As soon as you win a round, do your hands move to start a new game without you even thinking about it? This is a clear sign of addiction (上瘾) — a brain disease.

In order to fight this disease, you may have to give up playing a particular game. Limit the amount of time you spend on gaming (the new national rules may be just what you need). You can also get help from your friends. They can, for example, help you to take up some new hobbies.

The teen brain is very flexible: it can repair itself. The key, however, is whether you are willing enough to give the chance to do so.

It is time to click “____*____”.

Children’s games in ancient China

During ancient times, children didn’t have smart phones, iPads or computers to entertain them. Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood. Let’s take a look.

Playing video games from breakfast to bedtime might sound lazy. But some students did this to help fight the novel coronavirus (新冠病毒).

In early June, three 18-year old students from The Shipley School in Pennsylvania, US, hosted a 24-hour livestreaming (直播) event during which they played the popular video game Fortnite. They didn’t play for fun, but for a good cause—to raise money for nurses batting the coronavirus. The cash came from viewers who would donate to them. They livestreamed the games they played with competitor from around the planet.

Jack Robinson came up with the idea, as he has “seen nurses sacrificing (牺牲) their lives for their communities”. “We want to make a difference from the confines (范围) of our homes,” he said.

Robinson was joined by Luke Grayum and James Heckscher. Their school encourages its students to give hack to their communities. Students are required to perform charitable (慈善的) work. Robinson has built houses in Costa Rica and cleaned Los Angeles beaches. Heckscher tutors (辅导) students and collects toiletries (洗漱用品) for the homeless. Grayum ran 70 miles to raise funds to help low-income people and volunteers at a food pantry (食品储藏室).

This year, because of the COVID 19 pandemic, they had to do something from home. They turned to livestreaming video games. They chose Fortnite because it is free and has a big audience. The three competed as a team, but also allowed other players to join them. Their school headmaster, Michael Turner, even partnered with them.

They hoped to bring in (赚得) as much as 2,000 dollars (about 13,400 yuan). But in the end they raised more than 3,500 dollars. All of the money was donated to the American Nurses Association.