Gamers less likely to study at uni. *article*

[Still Life]

http://www.theage.com.au/world/gamers-less-likely-to-study-at-uni-20110409-1d8pj.html

FREQUENTLY playing computer games appears to reduce a teenager's chances of going to university, while reading enhances the likelihood that they will go on to study for a degree, according to research carried out by Oxford University that tracked 17,000 people born in 1970.

What say you, forum?

 

[bob1052]

inb4 the crowd of people who will say anything to trivialize a study that isn't in favor of gaming before turning around to quote any that are.

 

[Gibboniser]

I read and play games, so .. I guess they cancel each other out?

 

[Nmil-ek]

Maybe alittle, nothing compared to the factors of economic status and rising tuition costs/lack of teacher's however that and the guardian's always sucked up to whoevers in power they like to find little deflections like that.

 

[Stoic raptor]

I read a lot and I play computer games a lot. How does that work?
And I am certain I will go to college. No matter what that study says.

 

[Flames66]

Going to university is not for everyone and is not a prerequisite of intelligence.

 

[Katana314]

Are they mixing up correlation and causation?

I think it makes sense that a lazy slob will

A. Play more video games
B. Not go to university

but those are both easily attributed to some deeper character trait.

 

[Rednog]

inb4 the crowd of people who will say anything to trivialize a study that isn't in favor of gaming before turning around to quote any that are.

I'll trivialize it because the article title is kind of jumping the gun. The article is more about reading vs non reading kids.
Heck the article even says directly

"The research suggests teenagers who spend a lot of time playing video games should not worry too much about their career prospects. Playing computer games frequently did not reduce the likelihood that a 16-year-old would be in a professional or managerial job at 33, the research finds. Mr Taylor's analysis also indicates that children who read books and did one other cultural activity further increased their chances of going to university."

So pretty much reading = good, games = no real difference.
The author pretty much buried his own title.

 

[Zhukov]

inb4 the crowd of people who will say anything to trivialize a study that isn't in favor of gaming before turning around to quote any that are.

Oh so very bloody true.

It irritates the hell out me the way gamers do that.

"This study has reached a conclusion that displeases me. Therefore it cannot possibly have any merit whatsoever and was probably sponsered by Fox News! Nneeer!"

 

[Still Life]

Maybe alittle, nothing compared to the factors of economic status and rising tuition costs/lack of teacher's however that and the guardian's always sucked up to whoevers in power they like to find little deflections like that.

I'd like to get my hands on he paper to see whether they've accounted for other lifestyle factors, or whether they've just spotted a correlation and made a fuss about it.

 

[Throwitawaynow]

I read and play games, so .. I guess they cancel each other out?

Same, does the wall covered in books cancel out the drawers filled with games?

 

[Gizmo007666]

I don't see how this is considered news to be honest. I mean that in the sense that this is relevant to people who are now over 40, and were gaming in the first and second generations of consoles. The amount of change that has taken place over the past few years makes this, as far as I care irrelevant to the current state of gaming students.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Well I have been playing computer games since I was 6 and I am a BA/BSC so... yeah. Unless it's different for women they are talking out of thier bumhole. I also had a higher level of general knowledge than most of my friends who were home schooled by thier technophobic parents. One of them actually asked me what insomnia was once. I was also a heavy reader, however.

I think liking computer games is just a step up from reading books in most cases, only you can actually interact with the story. It's all about imagination and immersion.

My nephews reading has gone up 6 levels since I bought him his DS, just saying. Funny how kids minds work. You give them a book and they are bored silly, if they have to read how to get to the next pokemon gym they are all for it

It's not a prerequisite of intelligence going to uni my friend was in the military from when he was 16 for example and he has just as much if not more intelligence. My sister can also put her mind to anything and shes a housewife with beauty training. That's their choice and I don't hold it against them.

 

[hem dazon 90]

INb4 Manchildren try and defend their childish obsession

 

[PROcrastinator]

I am a gamer that is going to a University. A good one too. With a high GPA. So suck it article?

 

[RollForInitiative]

Honestly, sounds fairly reasonable to me. I've seen plenty of people flop and drop out because they didn't know when to put down the controller in favor of their textbooks.

 

[Bryan Jue]

The article is almost completely pointless. First, it doesn't at all acknowledge that reading for pleasure and playing games are not mutually exclusive; people can fit both into their lifestyles. The following sentence clearly references kids who ONLY play games AND do nothing else:

Playing computer games regularly and doing no other activities meant the chances of going to university fell from 24 per cent to 19 per cent for boys and from 20 per cent to 14 per cent for girls.

Well, yeah, if I only play Mousetrap all day AND don't read books, my chances of going to a university are also severely lessened. What's your point?

The article then goes on to point out:

''The main thing I would highlight, because this is the 1970 cohort, when they played video games in 1986, that's not very many people. And the state of video games in 1986 is nothing like it is now.''

So they're basing this on games from 25 years ago?

Finally, the article does an about face at the end and completely contradicts its initial premise:

... Playing computer games frequently did not reduce the likelihood that a 16-year-old would be in a professional or managerial job at 33, the research finds. Mr Taylor's analysis also indicates that children who read books and did one other cultural activity further increased their chances of going to university.

That last sentence essentially proves what I said above; that since reading and playing games are not mutually exclusive, just because you play games doesn't mean you're S.O.L., because you may also be a reader.

This is terrible and misleading "journalism".

 

[ronald1840]

That's complete bull and I see no grounds for them to say that. It all depends on the individual and what they do with their time and how organized their priorities are. I am currently a freshman at Arizona State U., and I enjoy the national honor society as I work 4hrs a day on my [Mass Effect 2] LittleBigPlanet 2 re-make. Life is all about balance and smart managment with your resources.



School Work > Family > Employment > Social Life(party) > Sports Recreation > Gaming.

"We all make choices. In the end our choices make us."

 

[Radeonx]

Honestly, sounds fairly reasonable to me. I've seen plenty of people flop and drop out because they didn't know when to put down the controller in favor of their textbooks.

Indeed. One of my roommates spent WAY too much time playing games, and fucked over one of his semesters because of it. With that said, anything can be bad in extremes.