Opinion | Can we use our devices during lunch?

Here’s my take. BASIS is a hard school to be in. There’s really no question about it. Sometimes, when I’m tired, and I’ve had a tough couple of classes, all I want to do is play some no-intelligence-required, brain-rotting game. I’m sure people can relate. Honestly, I think it’s a good way to decompress. Not the best way, but a good way.

The National Institute of Health (ooh, sounds important) conducted a study on video games. It’s a bunch of complex science talk so I’m sure no one cares to read all of it. I did however, so I’ll translate for you all. Here’s the gist of it: they conducted a study on 80 undergraduate students, did some overcomplicated tests, and found that “there was no difference in the degree of reduction across the stress measures between playing a casual video game and participating in a mindfulness-meditation session. Thus, playing casual video games may be a viable method for stress reduction among undergraduate students.” I mean, it’s the National Institute of Health, surely they’re right.

Now here’s the sad part. Some people, including me, do homework during lunch. Isn’t that pathetic? Lunch is supposed to be for fun and laughter and, I don’t know, being loud and disruptive. But no, I do math homework during lunch. The thing is, I use my computer to look at the problems, and well, no computer equals no math problems. No math problems leads to no math homework. No math homework means sitting in a chair being useless, and I’m sure no one wants to be useless. It’s simple. I’m sure there’s some scientific property that explains this more clearly, so feel free to look it up. Hmm, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah: I like doing work during lunch. It’s productive and efficient. Therefore, another reason why we should allow devices is because most homework requires devices.

Obviously, there are some drawbacks to computers. Allowing people to play video games enables them to run around screaming and causing a ruckus. I get that it’s a problem. Also, when people are causing a ruckus, it makes it hard for people to do homework. I actually have a solution for this: what if we had a study hall during lunch? What if there was a designated room where people can come in and get things done? Office hours exist, but it’s hard to come up with a proper schedule for every lunch of the week, since not many teachers host office hours during lunch. (I know, eating lunch is an intimate act that requires being alone, or more likely, they have classes to teach.) So if there is a study hall room, we can leave the cafeteria to screaming kids, video games, and exasperated lunch monitors (I get it, monitors, I know how difficult we are). 

So that’s that, tell me what y’all think. Devices, yea or nay?

P.S. The science article in question: 

Desai, Veeral, et al. “Stress-Reducing Effects of Playing a Casual Video Game among Undergraduate Students.” Trends in Psychology, vol. 29, no. PMC7952082, Mar. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00062-6.