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School of Thought: Existentialism | Hri-Write

Existentialism is a philosophical school of thought that deals with human existence, trying to explain the purpose of a human life. Existentialism, like many other schools of thought, is of course only a speculation and something we made up, take what you read here with a pinch of salt ( after all, I don't know any more about life than you do! ) If I were to try to explain existentialism easily, I'm afraid I'll lose out on its intricacies, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Existentialism, at its most fundamental level, says that every person is responsible for defining their own purpose in this world and that we are governed by our free will. Existentialism says that we are not here to 'find purpose', but rather to 'create our reality and purpose'. It sounds simple, but that's because I've tried to break down roughly a few centuries worth of study and philosophical evolution into four sentences. Existentialism originated as a school o...
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Why video games aren't all bad

Well, here's a topic, or probably the topic closest to my heart. The pros and cons of video games have been debated for 10-15 years now, and there's been a lot of studies, for both sides of the coin.


We've all heard the typical blames thrust on video gaming. Addiction, increased aggression, and various health consequences such as obesity and repetitive strain injuries. However, how many people actually know the upside of gaming? In grade 10, I had conducted ~8 months of research into this, for my personal project. I'll quickly sum up the most important parts of it and then leave you with the entire video I had created.



Patience and peserverance -

The world of gaming and many games, in particular require you to do things repetitively to master them. It's ironic, because that's how real life works. Until you do a task over and over, with diligence, you cannot become better at it, and cannot fully master it. In gaming, this term is grinding, adapted from the real life term, 'the daily grind'. For example, to find your own food, and to craft your own tools. A real life example would be something like grinding on school or wok projects to meet the requirements of it. Simply put, it requires you to be patient and to reap the benefits of hard work.

Strategic Planning -

There are a plethora of games that teach you this skill. Games like Tetris and Sudoku are great examples, and they teach you to think a few steps ahead. In real life, things like income versus expenses are a good example topic that games can teach you.

It's a vital skill, and playing these games for an hour or two in a week will definitely prove useful. It will teach you to multitask, to prioritise tasks and adapting to the situation.

Social Gaming -

Social gaming has been going on from the first multiplayer games. Then and now, multiplayer games involved a bunch of friends sitting around the console or the computer and competing against each other. While many people do not realize this, social gaming can be observed in almost every household. Online gaming involves a network of thousands and millions of players, and depending on how seriously you take gaming, you can meet a bunch of people that you'll know for the rest of your life. Things like managing a gaming group are quite similar to a managing a workgroup.

Mental and creative power -

Believe it or not, the most science has actually gone into this aspect. Institutions are continually looking for new ways to teach people with disabilities certain skills, or to improve children's motor and cognitive skills. Games like Quizup can help you build memory, critical thinking and brain functionality.

Personally, I love gaming, and although I don't get to indulge in it as much as I used to a few years ago, it's always been my go-to stress buster. Here's my entire video for my personal project. Do watch it if you have time on your hands, it would be much appreciated. Thank you.





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