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Video Gamers May Be 'Virtually' on Their Own
January 23, 2009 3:11 PM
By AUDREY GRAYSON, ABC News Medical UnitI have a dark secret from my past. It involves a phase in my life which I am not proud to admit that I went through.
From the age of about 12 to 16, I was a gamer. Not just any gamer, either. I was completely consumed.
The first thing I did when I woke up was run upstairs, turn on the computer, and try to play as many games as I could before I had to get ready for school. The first thing I did after school was run upstairs, turn on the computer and play games until the early hours of the morning. Then I woke up at 6 a.m. the next day and did it all over again.
Surprisingly, my grades in school didn’t suffer at all from my addiction. But the countless hours sitting in front of the computer screen, eyes glazed and palms sweating, did take a toll on one significant aspect of my life: my social life.
So it came as no surprise to me whatsoever that researchers from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, found that video games are bad for college students’ relationships.
Researchers surveyed 813 undergraduates at the university and found that most associations with gaming were negative. Those who played video games more frequently reported a lower quality relationship with both friends and family members. Moreover, women who played video games more frequently reported a lower self-image.
More video game use was also linked to higher rates of drug and alcohol use. And the more time a person spent playing the games, the higher the risk was for negative outcomes.
But which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Did I turn to computer games because I was friendless, lonely and unhappy, or did I become friendless, lonely and unhappy because of the computer games?
“We should be cautious about how we interpret these findings,” said lead study author Laura Walker, assistant professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. “It’s important to recognize that these are correlations… we’re not saying that video game use causes these negative outcomes."
But Scott Rigby, the president of Immersyve Inc., a player-experience research firm, explained the ease with which one might “crowd out” real life obligations and experiences by becoming over-involved in a virtual world.
“The thing about video games is when you’re sitting in a virtual world, you’re not in the real world,” Rigby said. “And video games are particularly good for satisfying a lot of our human needs – real life often doesn’t give us that same kind of constant feedback, that thrill of victory every few seconds.”
“It makes sense that some people may crowd out real life experiences and become out of balance with other things in their life, work or relationships,” he added.
However, Rigby stressed that it is impossible to confirm whether there is a causal relationship between gaming and negative outcomes.
“We do think that at a certain point people have to have the time available in order to fill it with the game, but we also think that sometimes games are much denser in terms of satisfaction, so even if your life is full of hobbies and activities, you could start crowding out real life obligations with game time,” Rigby explained.
And looking back at the “gaming phase” of my life now, I can see much more clearly why I became so obsessed: I was an outcast. My social calendar was one big empty hole, so I filled it to the rim with computer games. The real trick is digging yourself out of that hole and coming back into the real world again.
January 23, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (14)
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Good thing sports isnt like that, or cooking, or drinking, or web surfing, or..
Where's my beer hat and Emeril kitchen knives? I need to conform immediately.
Posted by: eh.. | Jan 23, 2009 3:36:00 PM
People have been trying to blame video games for everything. However, there are huge holes in their arguements.
The assumptions are usually made by non-gamers, who do not understand video games or their supposed impact on society.
My social network consists of many friends who play video games. We are friends because we have that in common. If a person is playing video games and avoid people socially, then they have some existing issue, problably relating to their upbringing.
Posted by: Reason | Jan 23, 2009 3:40:03 PM
Exactly. People who have an imbalance in their lives have an imbalance in their lives. That can take many forms, especially with regard to solitary hobbies.
I dont see how the obsessed home improver, watching HGTV and fretting weekly over his curb appeal or the color of garden gnomes is really being all that he could be. Color matching isnt usually listed on the hierarchy of human needs.
Posted by: heh | Jan 23, 2009 3:52:13 PM
I wouldn't say someone who improves their home has an addiction as I would video gamers. That hobby actually adds value to your home. I think the article completely valid. The author of a study even said that these findings were correlated to video game use. I think video games are contributing to little social interaction, especially with the opposite sex. The study obviously showed that fewer women played video games and you can't marry Joanna Dark, Nariko, or Big Mama. I think that if the majority of our society went without electronics for one month, we'd find we're actually happier.
Posted by: Logic | Jan 24, 2009 5:45:22 PM
porn isn't interaction with the opposite sex.
Posted by: baker | Jan 24, 2009 5:46:53 PM
They didnt invent the phrase, "everything in moderation" just for video games. People can and will become addicted to just about everything.
Posted by: common sense | Jan 24, 2009 8:29:12 PM
I think that moderation is the answer to this article. If someone is replacing all aspects of their life with video games there is a problem. Many people I know have passed up many exceptional opportunities for video games. However I am also a gamer and have found ways to both play games and be successful in both school and relationships. In fact last semester I went for about a month without games and my grades and social interactions suffered. Videos games are like dessert, great after a nice wholesome meal!
Posted by: Waddy | Jan 25, 2009 10:37:20 AM
Seriously I play video games and I have a great social life with my friends who also play video games. It is true people HAVE been playing video games for everything. Stupidity, violence, social problems, and etcetera. Any obsession is unhealthy. But people need to realize that video games are just another form of entertainment. People who watch movies too much probably have similar problems. People who don't like video games just don't understand them, so they try to blame some problems of soceity over it. Now I am a gamer for life, but my life isn't gaming. Plus, many people go through a stage, usually around the ages of twelve to sixteen have some sort of electrical obsession, whether it is video games, talking on the phone or instant messenger, or just watching tv. But video games aren't bad, also this statement cannot be proven, but I have heard that a few of the greatest sergeons play video games. Video games are fun, they are not a degenerator. When some one tells me it turns my brain to mush, I tell ask them if they watch TV or movies. Watching Hannah Montana makes me more stupid than a few rounds of Halo
Posted by: Gamer for Life | Jan 26, 2009 2:13:25 PM
Seriously I play video games and I have a great social life with my friends who also play video games. It is true people HAVE been playing video games for everything. Stupidity, violence, social problems, and etcetera. Any obsession is unhealthy. But people need to realize that video games are just another form of entertainment. People who watch movies too much probably have similar problems. People who don't like video games just don't understand them, so they try to blame some problems of soceity over it. Now I am a gamer for life, but my life isn't gaming. Plus, many people go through a stage, usually around the ages of twelve to sixteen have some sort of electrical obsession, whether it is video games, talking on the phone or instant messenger, or just watching tv. But video games aren't bad, also this statement cannot be proven, but I have heard that a few of the greatest sergeons play video games. Video games are fun, they are not a degenerator. When some one tells me it turns my brain to mush, I tell ask them if they watch TV or movies. Watching Hannah Montana makes me more stupid than a few rounds of Halo
Posted by: Gamer for Life | Jan 26, 2009 2:13:26 PM
Gamers aren't going to change their behavior because of this article. I'm a manager and have Gamers who work in my department, my experience is they are usually sleep deprived, and are out sick more often than others. I've pretty much given up on them, they do their work...nothing more. Pretty depressing. They can rationalize all they want; don't drink, watch TV, or they aren't sports nuts, etc. Gamers, please do as some blogers do try to balance a bit. Going to dinner with family shouldn't feel like punishment, or going out with friends. Peace out.
Posted by: robincalifornia | Jan 27, 2009 7:26:41 PM
*"Researchers surveyed 813 undergraduates at the university" this is actually incorrect; in the article written by the authors, they explain that the survey came from six different colleges, none of which were from Brigham Young University. It would be interesting to see what would happen if only Mormons were in the study...
Posted by: hhhmmm? | Jan 27, 2009 9:43:25 PM
The computer games industry is dying in case the authors of the study didnt notice. It's all about console games today as that's where the money is for developers now. I would be curious to see a study breaking down console versus pc gamer behaviors. I'd also be curious to see a breakdown by self-indentification as introvert versus extrovert. Introverts would likely gravitate to another anti-social hobby to fill their time. Model trains anyone? Internet poker?
Ive also been to over 50 countries and seen a few things. I'd match my non-gamer life experience against anyones, for what its worth.
Posted by: mrmagoo | Jan 28, 2009 10:46:50 PM
that's shocking
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Posted by: bob | Apr 1, 2009 3:17:20 PM
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