yet again Another pointless study. If Video Games Where never invented I wouldn't of been so creative. And Adult Friends call me crazy cause I play them >:( it just makes me so mad!
I play them when I'm sad or depressed.
Well...Let's see...If I didn't play video-games,RPG-games to be more precise,I wouldn't start thinking about events happening in the games. Like in Star Ocean 3 and Tales of the Abyss. With the dramatic events in both games,you'll start thinking alot and realise there are more important things to worry about then getting annoyed over something small like someone stole your pencil or someone yelled at you for no reason,worry more about the real important things.
I may be shy myself,but I'm not blaming that on my favourite hobby,gaming. In fact,when I tell others that I'm a gamer-girl,they suddenly want to talk with me about my interests,so I'd say gaming is,in my situation,giving me opportunities to talk with people and get socialized.
Although,I may not have that many friends,I do have ONE best friend,which is enough for me. I can't stand fakers in the first place,so I don't waste my time on them once I see what kind of people they are. (And I can see that very quickly,one day class and I know which person I should stick with and which person I should totally ignore).
I've been playing video-games since I was little and it made me what I am now. I'm a caring person,although shy and I can be pretty cold sometimes,but that's who I am.
Plus,if they'd got time to 'study' something like this,why not use that same time for something more important,like finding cures for cancers and allergies and such? Or did they not learn logic thinking?
Oh wait,they apparantly didn't play video-games,so they didn't learn logical and strategic thinking. *rolls eyes*
If they really wanted to, they could easily say watching movies does the same thing to you. Think about it: we go to them for both the pleasure of it and to temporarily forget what's going on in our own lives.
(*shakes head*) Instead of being so concerned with these "findings," they should be glad that these same people aren't using the time they dedicate to gaming to doing stuff that would otherwise cause other people pain and whatnot.
I guess people would need to start playing video games in moderation... but I agree with some people here...I wish there was a breakthrough in the cure for cancer research than to research something like this...
Remember last time you started a 'discussion' and were pretty much made to look like a fool?
Yeah.
Think about it, a lot of gamers you see nowadays are overweight because the only thing they move when they play some video games are their fingers.
Think about it: a lot of people who are overweight and play video games might be overweight and watch television if video games hadn't been invented, or be overweight and read books if television hadn't been invented.
Either take statistics, or take it again and pay attention. Correlation does not imply causation.
The entire rest of your argument was actually a string of statements you have heard from someone else and haven't actually bothered to consider yourself, and they all happen to fall under the above principle. Correlation does not imply causation.
And because third time is the charm: Correlation does not imply causation. What it does imply is that there is something in common between two items or areas, and that closer inspection must be taken to determine if one causes the other or if there is an underlying connection or connections.
I do not care about the actual state of affairs of gamers themselves. If people are overweight because all they do is play video games then that's their problem, and it is not my business to protect them from themselves. If people are drastically overweight through a genetic defect and cannot, in fact, do much else besides watch television or play video games, it is not my business to pass judgment upon them.
Mostly, it's just none of my business. I am simply angry that the study was obviously done without care for what the truth of any situations are, and was instead done to "prove a point" about its subject, which is in complete and blatant violation of the principles of statistics in the first place.
Eeehh... that sounded rather charged than neutral to me. I dunno...
Now that I think of it, all of the males in my generation of the family play video games. Out of all my brothers and cousins that can pick up a game controller, not one is a fat, shy, depressed blob like the stereotype lays claim to believe. The ones with thin builds are thin and the ones with broader bodies obviously have more meat on their bones, but they all are healthy, active and generally happy. Between the lot, they play Varsity football, basketball, baseball and rugby and have social lives that aren't as hyperactive as a drama-queen set of girls, but certainly are no shut-ins either. I am no gamer, but I am certainly less active in general than them and have none of the negative side effects (unless you count being a tall size 8 fat like the majority of society seems to).
I have to say that I feel sorry for anyone who can honestly buy into the stereotype of the socially-inverted, awkward nerd-lump as the face of most, if not all, gamers. Maybe it just is your luck and who you know, but it certainly is not like that for the rest of us, as you can tell by the "that's not right" comments as they point out (not bash) that the study was not fair.
...and I would just stop arguing with Ace if I were you. Well, you could, but I wouldn't advise it. He can use his kung-fu to disable you through the internet in the form of words. That's why I don't argue with him. >>
I agree with pretty much everything you said except for. . .the doggie sweaters. Believe it or not, but they do actually have a use for hairless dogs and. . .little dogs in the winter. BUT IN MY OPINION DOGS WHO NEED THEM AREN'T REAL DOGS!!! *::*shot*::*
And for the real comment:
I love playing video games, they are a fun thing to spend a little time on. They also can break the ice and set the mood when you have visitors. So really, I don't think it's the video games; just the individual who plays them.
No, I went through it all because you weren't being realistic at all. You pretty much turned this whole issue into a confrontation that was never there to begin with, and in so doing attacked most of the people who had already commented without cause.
Last edited by Ace at 7:28:37 PM EDT on August 24, 2009.
Well, I'm going to say that this study is the exact opposite of pointless. Think about it, a lot of gamers you see nowadays are overweight because the only thing they move when they play some video games are their fingers.
Alright, here's the deal. You're stating that as a fact, yet you haven't provided any evidence to back it up. I'm gonna need some, or I'll just have to be inclined to agree with Allamorph's perspective on this, which is that people get drawn to gaming because they're already not out exercising or socializing.
That's not exercise!
No one ever said it was. Does that mean Gamers never take a break to go out and exercise?
However, video games like the games for the Wii (which I love playing at my friend's house) are very positive towards the gaming community and others. You may think that it's all stupid just because certain things you can buy for the games where you actually, yeah, have to do a little thing called moving around, are costly.
See, now you're taking on a completely uncalled for tone. And yes, buying every new peripheral Nintendo throws at you is gonna get expensive after a while. Take a look at the MotionPlus. It rockets your Wiimote's value to about double and all it does is fine-tune the motion sensor so you can swordfight better.
To be honest, it's all worth it and people do lose weight playing these games that require full body effort. You may also think that video games aren't supposed to be like that.
I don't recall anyone saying that at all.
Well, think about that, too. If they weren't supposed to be like that, games like that wouldn't be existing today, like the Wii Fit.
Saying something wouldn't exist if it shouldn't is a complete logical fallacy. May I introduce you to My Stop Smoking Coach? Apparently it's based on a book that has been reported to help smokers quit a lot better than a bunch of touchscreen minigames can.
I personally love that thing. It's fun and I lost some weight using it. But games where all you do is sit there and just move your fingers around a controller are bad.
So are chocolate, television, music, playing the trombone, pushups, hopscotch and kickboxing. In excess. You seem to be operating under the assumption that everyone here spends all day on the couch hunting down the next miniboss.
And saying that they promote violence isn't so far-fetched. Kids nowadays are still - if not, more - impressionable and may think that the violence portrayed in video games is good, especially gun violence.
And that is why you tell your children what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Princess Zelda isn't your child's mother.
But that's where you do a simple thing such as not letting that child go near that video game.
Or you can let them near it, but only under your supervision so you can make sure they don't overreact and explain to them what is happening and why.
There's a reason for the video game ratings, people. Learn to read and look at what that video game is rated, so your child does not set sight on a violent video game that may lead him/her to think that violence is a good thing.
"Learn to read"? Doesn't that seem a bit harsh? And yes, we all know about the rating system. Most gaming families I know of do in fact monitor their children's gaming trends through that venue. This still all boils down to a parenting issue, though. I'd say a kid has more problems than just thinking violence is a good thing if he takes Mario's word over Mom's.
And I was watching Adult Swim last night, and they did say something about how female gamers are usually thinner, whereas male gamers are fatter.
Is this the same Adult Swim that broadcasts its own hate mail and shifts its schedule about once a week? Because that's probably not the go-to place for fact-finding.
That, to me, seems a bit strange. But what do I know? I've always been skinny, even though I play video games. I was depressed at one time, but it wasn't because of Legend of Zelda or Donkey Kong. In fact, like most people, these games were like an escape to me. But then I got into games like DDR, where you can improve your coordination.
And this is part of the point of Allamorph's statement earlier. According to your own and plenty of other people's testimony, Games don't make you depressed. In fact, it's completely the opposite. People play games in order to take their mind off of depression.
Needless to say, I'm pretty neutral with this debate. What makes it seem pointless is everybody making a big deal out of it, like it's the worst thing in the world.
It's an inconclusive survey covering 550 out of over 300,000,000 people that draws faulty conclusions without doing the research necessary to back them up. It's not quite the worst thing in the world, but I think we're justified in being a little upset.
Maybe you all need to grow up and get used to the real world and not the MMORPG worlds that you all love to live in when you're either bored or can't stand what's going on in your real life.
Whoa there, sparky. Somebody's drawing conclusions. I can't speak for everyone here, but I personally only play a couple hours a day, hardly ever play MMOs, hang out with my physical friends frequently and spend about an hour a day practicing advanced martial arts, which is quite the workout. Perhaps it was a bit soon for you to attack everyone here under the assumption that they were fat, slovenly and introverted?
These scientists work hard to figure these things out, so the least you can do is give them props for their work, instead of bashing it like a bunch of immature children.
Likewise, the least they can do is fix the fallacies in their own experiments beforehand so they don't waste all that time, money and effort jumping to the wrong conclusion later.
These scientists don't know you personally, they're going by the majority of gamers. Too bad, you're not the majority of gamers.
Never said I was. However, considering how many gamers I know and what I know about their everyday lifestyles, exercising habits and ages, I think I still reserve the right to call shenanigans.
The universe does not revolve around your personal life or your gaming life.
Once again, you're making a big assumption based on little evidence. No one here, I repeat, no one, thinks the universe revolves around them. And I think it's quite rude of you to brand them as egotistical without ever having met them.
I don't care if you forget about depression playing video games, I don't care if you think this study is pointless.
Ah, but you do care. Or else I'm assuming you wouldn't have gone off on a two paragraph long rant about how we're all jerks for calling this thing inaccurate.
Nothing is pointless, because everything has a purpose.
Doggy Sweaters.
The scientists who came up with this study are trying to bring some things about video games to the public's attention.
And once again, it's kind of their job to make sure the facts they're bringing to the public's attention are accurate.
Oh, and you're not the entire public. Sorry.
I'm also not the Queen of Scotland. My point? I already knew that. Stop being so condescending.
i can see wat they're saying here.
depression... i think it could be because ppl can't stand reality and escape to teh virtual realm, thru video games. or because of body image. lots of video game characters have perfect bodies (...enjoy it *drool*), and i guess u could feel like u're not hot or something. like when some girls feel they have to become skinny in order teh be beautiful, because of models or TV or whatever.
overweight? couch potato. mostly, u can fix dat by yerself. u just need support!!!! go for it!!! be active!!!!
but yeh, i luve video games teh death, teh make meh happy, but maybe not fer some ppl? *shrugs* well, everybody's different.
A Fiery Spirit (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
I can see both sides of this. However, I have to go with the opposing force on this one.
On the one hand, being fat will make you depressed. You get fat from a sedentary lifestyle. Video games can induce said sedentary lifestyle. These are the folks who would play Halo for hours on end and only sleep before going to work the next day.
On the other, using a common entertainment medium as the catalyst to troubles in our society is nothing new. In the 1920s, it was jazz music that was corrupting the youth. In the 1950s, it was comic books. In the 1980s up until today, it was video games. The older generation always looks down on the younger generation and everything they do because it wasn't "like the old days" when hamburgers were 50 cents and you could work at a factory until you were 60.
I like video games and gaming in general. I find it a fun and interactive medium that can help but also hinder in some regards. To say gaming does nothing bad is just as wrong a statement as saying it does nothing good. Everything has its pros and cons.
And stating specifically this once factor alone seems not only like misinformation but also a clear bias. This would be no different than saying "Did you know that 53% of those who listen to rap are former convicts?" (not a real fact, just a hypothetical example). Looking for an exact group on an exact factor and playing it off as the acting catalyst for the end result is not good statistics nor good delivery of information. This survey, to me and maybe others, is nothing more than a blanket statement for advancing an agenda for a medium that politicians and lobbyists know nothing, if anything, about other than what journalists propagate on by people who also know nothing on actual experience or solid facts but rather simply what they already have as their predetermined conceived notions on the subject.
Though we may say that all these studies are stupid and just aimed to tell you the same thing, videos games are bad. But you know for once they are actually right on this. I'm a girl gamer and when I do play rpg's I do get depressed. WEIRD I guess I get that into the game and story if it's a bad ending or someone dies I do get depressed about it. BUT i'm not overweight, I'm 105. Maybe a little addicted to video games? I don't play them all the time.
Sheesh, first people claim video games are violent and are corrupting us even though the game case shows what the game itself is rated, and now they're saying they make us depressed and anti-social?
They better start researching something that actually won't be POINTLESS, unless they want a load of annoyed people.
Everyone else has basically summed up what I was about to say. These studies are becoming more and more pointless. I hope they actually start to study something that is important (like Cancer maybe, just saying) and not use studies to turn people away from the things they love.
-Jai Foxhat
Now retired (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
Yet another pointless study. Don’t these people have lives? I’m so sick of these studies claiming things based on a small sample of people. These types of studies made me stop studying psychology! Anyway I hope people don’t read into this too much as most gamers are healthy normal people.
first they say video games causes us to be violent and murderous delinquents, and now they say we are fat and sad and socially challenged because of games.... well, let me tell u, i was overweight before video games were $10-30 a game and the consoles were like the greatest invention to keep in the house, and ive always been shy and non social......
ok, that was more of a rant than anything...
seriously tho, video games may be a factor for some people with these issues, but they are NOT the cause. come on, at what point do we take responsibility for ourselves and our mistakes? i messed up and now i am overweight because of it. now i am working on changing that for myself by going to a gym and working out to loose weight.
and about being depressed, lets just say ive had a trip of depression before, and it is overcome-able. but to blame it on video games is like saying ur not responsible for murder in a courtroom because u play Gears of War, or Call of Duty, or ever Grand Theft Auto.... sure, it may be a factor, but especially for depression, i doubt video games has much to do with that.... now it may help alot more on the shyness part, i mean, i myself am still not social at all, to the point to where my social life is online, but i think that is again from my own choices...
The United States is a wonderful place. It spans nearly four million square miles and is home to over three hundred million human beings. It provides lifestyles ranging from bustling metropolises like New York to rural farmlands. The land itself ranges from swampland to desert to mountain to coast, and the climate can be anywhere from dry and hot to cold and snowy no matter what the season in some places.
This survey takes into account about .0002% (That's one five hundred thousandth, for you fraction people) of said population, living in a stressful big city environment in the coastal Northwest. Said area is also prone to rain year round and therefore provides fewer opportunities than many other places in the country for children to leave the house to play. It also neglects the extensive gaming community age 18 and under, automatically skewing the average to the high side.
Nonetheless, this survey is being stated as an accurate representation of gaming trends Nationwide. Something is wrong here.
Vagrant AI (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
I heard about this from a friend a few days ago ([link]). The study itself seems a bit questionable though, since they apparently only polled around 500 people, and in just the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington. That's not really very conclusive if you ask me. XP
How about "people with sedentary lifestyles are more likely to play video games" instead? The person who sits on the couch all day obviously has more time to spend playing video games.
I am really damn tired of study after study after fracking study being done in public (Ron White: PUB LICK) with a blatant and total disregard to the basic principles of Statistics. Simply because to variables are related doesnotmean one automatically causes the other.
There is a positive relationship to the times of the year when people contract skin cancer and when people eat ice cream, but that does not mean that eating ice cream causes skin cancer. It means that IT IS FREAKING SUMMER. People eat more ice cream in the summer. People get sunburned in the summer.
HMM.
Last edited by Allamorph at 1:02:29 AM EDT on August 24, 2009.
themakita
Otaku Legend | Posted 08/31/09 | Reply
I have many opinions on this but his survey and reasearch seems completely naive, and questionable.
SolemnSerpent
Cupcake Constable (Moderator) | Posted 08/30/09 | Reply
Me + Video Games = Happiness >
Depression:)
I find the study a little... questionable. Then again, quite a few recent studies have been questionable.
Arctic Summer
Otaku Legend | Posted 08/29/09 | Reply
yet again Another pointless study. If Video Games Where never invented I wouldn't of been so creative. And Adult Friends call me crazy cause I play them >:( it just makes me so mad!
I play them when I'm sad or depressed.
KitsyLove
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/25/09 | Reply
Well...Let's see...If I didn't play video-games,RPG-games to be more precise,I wouldn't start thinking about events happening in the games. Like in Star Ocean 3 and Tales of the Abyss. With the dramatic events in both games,you'll start thinking alot and realise there are more important things to worry about then getting annoyed over something small like someone stole your pencil or someone yelled at you for no reason,worry more about the real important things.
I may be shy myself,but I'm not blaming that on my favourite hobby,gaming. In fact,when I tell others that I'm a gamer-girl,they suddenly want to talk with me about my interests,so I'd say gaming is,in my situation,giving me opportunities to talk with people and get socialized.
Although,I may not have that many friends,I do have ONE best friend,which is enough for me. I can't stand fakers in the first place,so I don't waste my time on them once I see what kind of people they are. (And I can see that very quickly,one day class and I know which person I should stick with and which person I should totally ignore).
I've been playing video-games since I was little and it made me what I am now. I'm a caring person,although shy and I can be pretty cold sometimes,but that's who I am.
Plus,if they'd got time to 'study' something like this,why not use that same time for something more important,like finding cures for cancers and allergies and such? Or did they not learn logic thinking?
Oh wait,they apparantly didn't play video-games,so they didn't learn logical and strategic thinking. *rolls eyes*
Shadweh
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/25/09 | Reply
If they really wanted to, they could easily say watching movies does the same thing to you. Think about it: we go to them for both the pleasure of it and to temporarily forget what's going on in our own lives.
(*shakes head*) Instead of being so concerned with these "findings," they should be glad that these same people aren't using the time they dedicate to gaming to doing stuff that would otherwise cause other people pain and whatnot.
nin-chaz
Now retired (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/25/09 | Reply
@Estheryuki:
*nods in agreement*
Estheryuki
Grand Otaku | Posted 08/25/09 | Reply
I guess people would need to start playing video games in moderation... but I agree with some people here...I wish there was a breakthrough in the cure for cancer research than to research something like this...
pomegranate
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/25/09 | Reply
All I'm going to say is correlation does not equal causation :3
Miss Anonymous
Vagrant AI (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@Indi:
See, that's what I liked about that article. I wish I had seen that version of the story sooner. XP
Indi
Dr. Mama Cat. (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@Allamorph:
Or you can read a better link on this topic, btw:
Click Meh!
It stresses, more than once, that the results are not conclusive and merely point to the need for further research to be taken on the topic. =P
~Crystia
EDIT: While am at it, everyone probably should check the link, it's a better article on it than what's in the news nugget. Seriously.
Last edited by Indi at 11:18:49 PM EDT on August 24, 2009.
Allamorph
Spiritus Memorae (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@:
Remember last time you started a 'discussion' and were pretty much made to look like a fool?
Yeah.
Think about it, a lot of gamers you see nowadays are overweight because the only thing they move when they play some video games are their fingers.
Think about it: a lot of people who are overweight and play video games might be overweight and watch television if video games hadn't been invented, or be overweight and read books if television hadn't been invented.
Either take statistics, or take it again and pay attention. Correlation does not imply causation.
The entire rest of your argument was actually a string of statements you have heard from someone else and haven't actually bothered to consider yourself, and they all happen to fall under the above principle. Correlation does not imply causation.
And because third time is the charm: Correlation does not imply causation. What it does imply is that there is something in common between two items or areas, and that closer inspection must be taken to determine if one causes the other or if there is an underlying connection or connections.
I do not care about the actual state of affairs of gamers themselves. If people are overweight because all they do is play video games then that's their problem, and it is not my business to protect them from themselves. If people are drastically overweight through a genetic defect and cannot, in fact, do much else besides watch television or play video games, it is not my business to pass judgment upon them.
Mostly, it's just none of my business. I am simply angry that the study was obviously done without care for what the truth of any situations are, and was instead done to "prove a point" about its subject, which is in complete and blatant violation of the principles of statistics in the first place.
Nehszriah
Hits Self With Axe (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@:
Eeehh... that sounded rather charged than neutral to me. I dunno...
Now that I think of it, all of the males in my generation of the family play video games. Out of all my brothers and cousins that can pick up a game controller, not one is a fat, shy, depressed blob like the stereotype lays claim to believe. The ones with thin builds are thin and the ones with broader bodies obviously have more meat on their bones, but they all are healthy, active and generally happy. Between the lot, they play Varsity football, basketball, baseball and rugby and have social lives that aren't as hyperactive as a drama-queen set of girls, but certainly are no shut-ins either. I am no gamer, but I am certainly less active in general than them and have none of the negative side effects (unless you count being a tall size 8 fat like the majority of society seems to).
I have to say that I feel sorry for anyone who can honestly buy into the stereotype of the socially-inverted, awkward nerd-lump as the face of most, if not all, gamers. Maybe it just is your luck and who you know, but it certainly is not like that for the rest of us, as you can tell by the "that's not right" comments as they point out (not bash) that the study was not fair.
...and I would just stop arguing with Ace if I were you. Well, you could, but I wouldn't advise it. He can use his kung-fu to disable you through the internet in the form of words. That's why I don't argue with him. >>
Be true, be you and of course, be otaku.
RedJ
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
This.
All I'm saying.
Driffter
Absentminded One (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@Ace:
I agree with pretty much everything you said except for. . .the doggie sweaters. Believe it or not, but they do actually have a use for hairless dogs and. . .little dogs in the winter. BUT IN MY OPINION DOGS WHO NEED THEM AREN'T REAL DOGS!!! *::*shot*::*
And for the real comment:
I love playing video games, they are a fun thing to spend a little time on. They also can break the ice and set the mood when you have visitors. So really, I don't think it's the video games; just the individual who plays them.
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@:
No, I went through it all because you weren't being realistic at all. You pretty much turned this whole issue into a confrontation that was never there to begin with, and in so doing attacked most of the people who had already commented without cause.
Last edited by Ace at 7:28:37 PM EDT on August 24, 2009.
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@:
Well, I'm going to say that this study is the exact opposite of pointless. Think about it, a lot of gamers you see nowadays are overweight because the only thing they move when they play some video games are their fingers.
Alright, here's the deal. You're stating that as a fact, yet you haven't provided any evidence to back it up. I'm gonna need some, or I'll just have to be inclined to agree with Allamorph's perspective on this, which is that people get drawn to gaming because they're already not out exercising or socializing.
That's not exercise!
No one ever said it was. Does that mean Gamers never take a break to go out and exercise?
However, video games like the games for the Wii (which I love playing at my friend's house) are very positive towards the gaming community and others. You may think that it's all stupid just because certain things you can buy for the games where you actually, yeah, have to do a little thing called moving around, are costly.
See, now you're taking on a completely uncalled for tone. And yes, buying every new peripheral Nintendo throws at you is gonna get expensive after a while. Take a look at the MotionPlus. It rockets your Wiimote's value to about double and all it does is fine-tune the motion sensor so you can swordfight better.
To be honest, it's all worth it and people do lose weight playing these games that require full body effort. You may also think that video games aren't supposed to be like that.
I don't recall anyone saying that at all.
Well, think about that, too. If they weren't supposed to be like that, games like that wouldn't be existing today, like the Wii Fit.
Saying something wouldn't exist if it shouldn't is a complete logical fallacy. May I introduce you to My Stop Smoking Coach? Apparently it's based on a book that has been reported to help smokers quit a lot better than a bunch of touchscreen minigames can.
I personally love that thing. It's fun and I lost some weight using it. But games where all you do is sit there and just move your fingers around a controller are bad.
So are chocolate, television, music, playing the trombone, pushups, hopscotch and kickboxing. In excess. You seem to be operating under the assumption that everyone here spends all day on the couch hunting down the next miniboss.
And saying that they promote violence isn't so far-fetched. Kids nowadays are still - if not, more - impressionable and may think that the violence portrayed in video games is good, especially gun violence.
And that is why you tell your children what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Princess Zelda isn't your child's mother.
But that's where you do a simple thing such as not letting that child go near that video game.
Or you can let them near it, but only under your supervision so you can make sure they don't overreact and explain to them what is happening and why.
There's a reason for the video game ratings, people. Learn to read and look at what that video game is rated, so your child does not set sight on a violent video game that may lead him/her to think that violence is a good thing.
"Learn to read"? Doesn't that seem a bit harsh? And yes, we all know about the rating system. Most gaming families I know of do in fact monitor their children's gaming trends through that venue. This still all boils down to a parenting issue, though. I'd say a kid has more problems than just thinking violence is a good thing if he takes Mario's word over Mom's.
And I was watching Adult Swim last night, and they did say something about how female gamers are usually thinner, whereas male gamers are fatter.
Is this the same Adult Swim that broadcasts its own hate mail and shifts its schedule about once a week? Because that's probably not the go-to place for fact-finding.
That, to me, seems a bit strange. But what do I know? I've always been skinny, even though I play video games. I was depressed at one time, but it wasn't because of Legend of Zelda or Donkey Kong. In fact, like most people, these games were like an escape to me. But then I got into games like DDR, where you can improve your coordination.
And this is part of the point of Allamorph's statement earlier. According to your own and plenty of other people's testimony, Games don't make you depressed. In fact, it's completely the opposite. People play games in order to take their mind off of depression.
Needless to say, I'm pretty neutral with this debate. What makes it seem pointless is everybody making a big deal out of it, like it's the worst thing in the world.
It's an inconclusive survey covering 550 out of over 300,000,000 people that draws faulty conclusions without doing the research necessary to back them up. It's not quite the worst thing in the world, but I think we're justified in being a little upset.
Maybe you all need to grow up and get used to the real world and not the MMORPG worlds that you all love to live in when you're either bored or can't stand what's going on in your real life.
Whoa there, sparky. Somebody's drawing conclusions. I can't speak for everyone here, but I personally only play a couple hours a day, hardly ever play MMOs, hang out with my physical friends frequently and spend about an hour a day practicing advanced martial arts, which is quite the workout. Perhaps it was a bit soon for you to attack everyone here under the assumption that they were fat, slovenly and introverted?
These scientists work hard to figure these things out, so the least you can do is give them props for their work, instead of bashing it like a bunch of immature children.
Likewise, the least they can do is fix the fallacies in their own experiments beforehand so they don't waste all that time, money and effort jumping to the wrong conclusion later.
These scientists don't know you personally, they're going by the majority of gamers. Too bad, you're not the majority of gamers.
Never said I was. However, considering how many gamers I know and what I know about their everyday lifestyles, exercising habits and ages, I think I still reserve the right to call shenanigans.
The universe does not revolve around your personal life or your gaming life.
Once again, you're making a big assumption based on little evidence. No one here, I repeat, no one, thinks the universe revolves around them. And I think it's quite rude of you to brand them as egotistical without ever having met them.
I don't care if you forget about depression playing video games, I don't care if you think this study is pointless.
Ah, but you do care. Or else I'm assuming you wouldn't have gone off on a two paragraph long rant about how we're all jerks for calling this thing inaccurate.
Nothing is pointless, because everything has a purpose.
Doggy Sweaters.
The scientists who came up with this study are trying to bring some things about video games to the public's attention.
And once again, it's kind of their job to make sure the facts they're bringing to the public's attention are accurate.
Oh, and you're not the entire public. Sorry.
I'm also not the Queen of Scotland. My point? I already knew that. Stop being so condescending.
beloved blood
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
i can see wat they're saying here.
depression... i think it could be because ppl can't stand reality and escape to teh virtual realm, thru video games. or because of body image. lots of video game characters have perfect bodies (...enjoy it *drool*), and i guess u could feel like u're not hot or something. like when some girls feel they have to become skinny in order teh be beautiful, because of models or TV or whatever.
overweight? couch potato. mostly, u can fix dat by yerself. u just need support!!!! go for it!!! be active!!!!
but yeh, i luve video games teh death, teh make meh happy, but maybe not fer some ppl? *shrugs* well, everybody's different.
my hands are covered in blood, as if in a dream
.:REQUIEM OF THE SUN:.
.::RETURN THE DARKNESS::.
Kaerlyn
Tea pixie (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
I'm sure there wouldn't be this much hype against gamers if it was a study on people who read books... Surely that is just as sedentary?
Perhaps games can be a factor in some health issues, but I doubt they are a cause.
DemonKingAtticus
A Fiery Spirit (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
I can see both sides of this. However, I have to go with the opposing force on this one.
On the one hand, being fat will make you depressed. You get fat from a sedentary lifestyle. Video games can induce said sedentary lifestyle. These are the folks who would play Halo for hours on end and only sleep before going to work the next day.
On the other, using a common entertainment medium as the catalyst to troubles in our society is nothing new. In the 1920s, it was jazz music that was corrupting the youth. In the 1950s, it was comic books. In the 1980s up until today, it was video games. The older generation always looks down on the younger generation and everything they do because it wasn't "like the old days" when hamburgers were 50 cents and you could work at a factory until you were 60.
I like video games and gaming in general. I find it a fun and interactive medium that can help but also hinder in some regards. To say gaming does nothing bad is just as wrong a statement as saying it does nothing good. Everything has its pros and cons.
And stating specifically this once factor alone seems not only like misinformation but also a clear bias. This would be no different than saying "Did you know that 53% of those who listen to rap are former convicts?" (not a real fact, just a hypothetical example). Looking for an exact group on an exact factor and playing it off as the acting catalyst for the end result is not good statistics nor good delivery of information. This survey, to me and maybe others, is nothing more than a blanket statement for advancing an agenda for a medium that politicians and lobbyists know nothing, if anything, about other than what journalists propagate on by people who also know nothing on actual experience or solid facts but rather simply what they already have as their predetermined conceived notions on the subject.
Haxelo
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
They should consider Wii, its exercise
bonitachika792
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
Though we may say that all these studies are stupid and just aimed to tell you the same thing, videos games are bad. But you know for once they are actually right on this. I'm a girl gamer and when I do play rpg's I do get depressed. WEIRD I guess I get that into the game and story if it's a bad ending or someone dies I do get depressed about it. BUT i'm not overweight, I'm 105. Maybe a little addicted to video games? I don't play them all the time.
icefoxchan
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
Sheesh, first people claim video games are violent and are corrupting us even though the game case shows what the game itself is rated, and now they're saying they make us depressed and anti-social?
They better start researching something that actually won't be POINTLESS, unless they want a load of annoyed people.
scribblezfox
Otakuite+ | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
Everyone else has basically summed up what I was about to say. These studies are becoming more and more pointless. I hope they actually start to study something that is important (like Cancer maybe, just saying) and not use studies to turn people away from the things they love.
-Jai Foxhat
nin-chaz
Now retired (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
Yet another pointless study. Don’t these people have lives? I’m so sick of these studies claiming things based on a small sample of people. These types of studies made me stop studying psychology! Anyway I hope people don’t read into this too much as most gamers are healthy normal people.
7thEvaChild
Spectre Knight (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
first they say video games causes us to be violent and murderous delinquents, and now they say we are fat and sad and socially challenged because of games.... well, let me tell u, i was overweight before video games were $10-30 a game and the consoles were like the greatest invention to keep in the house, and ive always been shy and non social......
ok, that was more of a rant than anything...
seriously tho, video games may be a factor for some people with these issues, but they are NOT the cause. come on, at what point do we take responsibility for ourselves and our mistakes? i messed up and now i am overweight because of it. now i am working on changing that for myself by going to a gym and working out to loose weight.
and about being depressed, lets just say ive had a trip of depression before, and it is overcome-able. but to blame it on video games is like saying ur not responsible for murder in a courtroom because u play Gears of War, or Call of Duty, or ever Grand Theft Auto.... sure, it may be a factor, but especially for depression, i doubt video games has much to do with that.... now it may help alot more on the shyness part, i mean, i myself am still not social at all, to the point to where my social life is online, but i think that is again from my own choices...
7thEvaChild
jannycats
Otaku Legend | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
@Zeit:
Ditto. Games got me OUT of my depression several times. I wish people would stop blaming video games for every plague known to man, it's pathetic.
Ace
Senile Hipster (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
The United States is a wonderful place. It spans nearly four million square miles and is home to over three hundred million human beings. It provides lifestyles ranging from bustling metropolises like New York to rural farmlands. The land itself ranges from swampland to desert to mountain to coast, and the climate can be anywhere from dry and hot to cold and snowy no matter what the season in some places.
This survey takes into account about .0002% (That's one five hundred thousandth, for you fraction people) of said population, living in a stressful big city environment in the coastal Northwest. Said area is also prone to rain year round and therefore provides fewer opportunities than many other places in the country for children to leave the house to play. It also neglects the extensive gaming community age 18 and under, automatically skewing the average to the high side.
Nonetheless, this survey is being stated as an accurate representation of gaming trends Nationwide. Something is wrong here.
Miss Anonymous
Vagrant AI (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
I heard about this from a friend a few days ago ([link]). The study itself seems a bit questionable though, since they apparently only polled around 500 people, and in just the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington. That's not really very conclusive if you ask me. XP
Allamorph
Spiritus Memorae (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 08/24/09 | Reply
How about "people with sedentary lifestyles are more likely to play video games" instead? The person who sits on the couch all day obviously has more time to spend playing video games.
I am really damn tired of study after study after fracking study being done in public (Ron White: PUB LICK) with a blatant and total disregard to the basic principles of Statistics. Simply because to variables are related does not mean one automatically causes the other.
There is a positive relationship to the times of the year when people contract skin cancer and when people eat ice cream, but that does not mean that eating ice cream causes skin cancer. It means that IT IS FREAKING SUMMER. People eat more ice cream in the summer. People get sunburned in the summer.
HMM.
Last edited by Allamorph at 1:02:29 AM EDT on August 24, 2009.
Zeit
Otaku Eternal | Posted 08/23/09 | Reply
hm. playing video games always make me happy.