Is playing video games really just a waste of time? What do you think of a grown man/woman who loves playing video games? Some of you may think "Awesome!" like I do but I believe most people may react negatively. Video games have been advertised as nothing but the source of youth violence in mainstream media for more than a decade. Therefore, it is no surprise that you only have negative impressions of the people who love playing video games, even when they are in 20s and 30s. I agree that video games can affect youths negatively, and I do think some video games may have led children to display aggressive behavior. However, I disagree that the all kind of video games have only negative impacts on those who love playing them for a healthy amount of time. For instance, I have been using role-playing games as tools for learning foreign languages. Role-playing games (RPGs) are one of the video game genres where you can play as a character immersed in a well-defined world. Non-player characters that you can interact with in the games are usually fully voiced by professional voice actors, that is particularly useful for improving your listening skills and pronunciation. The fact is in some RPGs your reactions to the conversations with NPCs may make you take the storyline more seriously and this may improve your reading and comprehension skills. I would not say that video games are the only fun choice you have as a tool for learning foreign languages, if you prefer films and novels more than video games, then go for it. However, if you feel guilty for playing video games in your own language, why don't you start playing video games in the language you want to learn instead? Then, your useless toys will turn into the magical source of learning a foreign language!

How do you make friends in a new country? Moving to a new country is always a fun and exciting experience. Just imagining all the new things you will encounter is enough to give you the spark of excitement. However, we all know that every coin has two sides and so has the experience of moving to a new country. Unfortunately, it's not always about fun and excitement- it can also bring you great anxiety and loneliness. I'm happy to announce that I'm moving to a new country this summer, to the country I've been dreaming of moving to for years, yet I'm being torn between the excitement and the anxiety. One of the concerns that I have is whether I will be able to make friends over there or not. I'm thinking about socializing through the hobbies of mine, that are guitar and photography, I hope this will help me make some friends over there. So, those who have experienced moving to a new country, how did you actually make friends there? What was the most difficult thing that you have faced while you were trying to make friends in a new country?