Issues Gamers Should Think About

[Smeatza]

Can you blame gamers for being immediately defensive?
For decades their hobby has been mostly ignored by mainstream media/culture and when it has been touched on it has been constantly criticised and made fun of for being immature, a waste of time, nerdy, unsociable etc.
Now suddenly it's one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world and the media doesn't have the option to ignore it, so what do they do?
Well they start using video games as their new scapegoat. All the stuff they used to blame on television and the movies, well it was all blatantly bullshit but video gaming is just about obscure enough that vocal idiots can be convinced.
"Actually it's not movies and TV that are making our kids violent, it's video games."
"Actually it's not movies and TV that are making our kids fat, it's video games."
"Actually it's not movies and TV that are (insert inevitability here), it's video games."
Of course gamers will be defensive. Perhaps when people stop looking down on their hobby, and video gaming is seen as an equivalent to movies and TV, video gamers will be able to stop the fervent, knee-jerk, defending of their hobby that at the moment, is necessary.

Also surely it would be more productive to encourage gamers to ask the questions then read the literature. Asking questions is all well and good if all you want to do is show you're interested. But shouldn't educating themselves be the main emphasis? After all it is the uneducated masses that seem to screw everything up.

 

[mattaui]

I don't have a problem discussing the impact of gaming regarding any of the points that Dr. Mark has brought up. Most of them are typical characteristics of an obsessive personality disorder, and that can come about from any number of hobbies. Anyone who is or has ever been a gamer is well aware of the ease in which you can get sucked into spending hours and hours with a favorite title, to the exclusion of all else, and most of what Dr. Mark references is related to that. Humans love wasting time and they love easy mental stimulation, and computer gaming has that in spades. But just like most people (if not all) can enjoy ice cream and booze without becoming obese alcoholics, most people are capable of gaming responsibly.

It's also, ultimately, the person and not the product that makes the bad choices. A six pack doesn't make you drink it all in one sitting, you decide to. The big new gaming release doesn't make you take a week off work, blow off social engagements and ignore your family, you decide that. Are there people who are incapable of resisting behavioral addictions and compulsions? Yes, there are, and I hope they can get the treatment they need. I'll talk about that all day long.

At no point does any of this equate to 'video games make you prone to acts of mass murder', so when these self-aggrandizing politicians and knee-jerk moralists get up there and start blaming video games in the aftermath of a child massacre, excuse me if I get a little concerned. But I don't let it get to me too much, since I know the coin of public discourse these days is perpetual outrage. So all you can do is state your facts as calmly and cleanly as possible, and hope for the best.

 

[mkline]

Thanks for all your comments and reactions. I wanted to focus on issues with gaming beyond the violence thing, and in response to a very thoughtful question, encourage Escapist readers to get through their defensiveness and denial, although I really do understand why some gamers are this way. Most feel a strong urge to defend an activity that means a lot to them but is constantly criticized and misunderstood by outsiders. I do think there is something unique about the way video games can create some of the effects I noted that is different than what might happen if you developed, for example, a vigorous coin-collecting hobby. I've written before on the positive aspects of gaming and the gaming community and I'm glad to do so again at any point--by writing this column, I did not mean to ignore or devalue these.

I think research may eventually help us understand these effects, though its easy to be leery of those findings when they are funded and carried out by institutions with agendas. What's really most important is that we all try to be honest with ourselves about how gaming affects us, for better and for worse, and factor this into our choices and priorities.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

That is a typical, non-commited parent comment, based on a cursery glance at the gaming community and mostly at the medias depiction of it, especially online articles such as those found here on the Escapist.

Funny, I make similar comments on here routinely.

I'll put my hand up now and say that I was the one who sent the question into Dr Mark , and yep, you've had some very interesting things to say on your own observations of the gaming community, especially the radical change in attitudes toward science if it so much as looks like it might think about studying something game related.

Tell me, isn't it pretty knee-jerk to just invent a dismissable persona for people who ask questions you don't want to answer? Especially when you don't know anything about the person who asks the question?

I was surprised to learn I had children even more than I was to learn my past 35 or so years of gaming were all imaginary. I wonder what the hell I was really doing with all that time?

And do you see how this insistence by many gamers on dismissing every attempt to study their medium enables critics hostile to the medium?

Don't beat around the bush now, say it outright - unwillingness to engage in study and discourse makes it look like the gaming community is trying to hide something. Combine that with the classic addict bevahiours of denial and agression towards things that impinges on that denial and it's not hard to see why the non-gaming public has a lot of questions it would like answered.

Plus, without further (and better) study of the medium, the only 'research' will be done by anti-gaming chuckleheads like Andersen, Bushman and their ilk.

[gets up on soapbox]
And this is one of the areas that I feel the Industry has let us gamers down. This is a multi-billion dollar global industry and yet they have shown little to no interest in studying their own medium, no proactive steps to find, identify and study any possible negative (or positive, for that matter) effects their own products may have. Would it really kill a few of the big publishers to take a few million out of their ad budgets and turn that cash into research grants?

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I agreed with your post, but the above bit I think really hits the way forward squarely on the head. Honestly, as much as I'd like to inspire an interest in science on the part of young gamers, I think we have to accept that a certain segment of the population doesn't want to be part of the solution. They just want to play their games as entertainment and not devote their life to learning. And really, I can respect that. After all it was only after 5 years of changing my career path that I began discovering that I like certain kinds of research.

More young people should be interested in science... of course education is a huge psycho-social issue when it comes to motivating/engaging young people.

As for the segment(s) of the gaming community that have no desire to be 'part of the solution', not respecting their choice would be counterproductive and unnecessarily antagonistic. No one likes feeling put upon during their 'entertainment and relaxation' time.

And besides, even if people do look into the effects of games, gamers aren't necessarily qualified to do the research anyway. Just look at how many people in these threads throw out what they think to be true without having done a bit of research to discover if it actually is true? And even if people want to study it, they may not have the background knowledge to be able to. Like I said above, I'm actually in a position I could do some research on the impact of games on language acquisition. But I'm completely unqualified to study something involving general psychology or physical health.

Exactly. My formal training is in Visual Arts and International Relations so for the time being I couldn't really bring anything to the table... (but in 3 weeks time I start my Bachelor of Psychological Science)

Then again, it's not like there shouldn't be enough people from a variety of disciplines in the gaming community, which has a large and somewhat diverse population, to get the ball rolling. If there are hundreds of millions of gamers worldwide and their average age in several countries is now mid-30s, we should be able to shake loose a dozen psychologists and a bevvy of statisticians.

What we need is an NGO, non-profit group, or think-tank that collects donations from big players in the video game industry (as well as those interested in psychology in order to not be biased), and then funnels that money into research on games. And then promotes that research. Such a group could coordinate researchers. And such a group would be the perfect venue for promoting the positive aspects of games when such aspects can be found to have supporting evidence.

The more I think about this, the more I think it is exactly what gaming needs.

I like to think that's where I was leading to... or would have eventually, anyway.

Plus, beside the fact that knowing more is always a good thing (okay, Cthonic horrors excluded), knowing more about our hobby is the best defence there is against the predations of Moral Outrage.

 

[Palmerama]

While it does bring up good questions, it all depends on the individual. I've suffered from manic depression for 15 odd years and I've always used games & film as a way of escapsim. When I do get depressed I barely want to do anything. I don't pay attention to the films I'm watching, the conversations im having, the book I', reading. Alot of the time I'm not really engaged to the game im playing. What stops me from reaching for a bottle of wien is my Megadrive. I play alot of retro games when im depressed. It's their simplicity and their charm that help get me through.

This won't work for everyone. for some people, shutting themselves off in a virtual world is the worst thing for them as it may make their condition worse.

These are issues that do get mulled over because of the "violence" controversy, but they do need to ve addressed. However, they can't be dismissed and put into groups. People are different and while along gaming session could be detrimental, a couple of intervalled hours a day could be better.


Video games do do alot of good things, but like with everything. Its all in the moderation.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Gaming and Intimacy

As far as I know my libido is pretty healthy. I'm not the kind of guy who goes out every night and tries to get laid, but I would still enjoy it. Hell, if I was in a relationship and my partner was willing, and she came up to me why playing a game (any game), and told me she wanted to have sex (I hope she'd be a little more subtle than that )I would drop whatever I was doing, quickly say bye to friends I was talking to, and hop to it.

Out of all the points made, this is actually the one that really made me think.

I'm a female gamer. My boyfriend games as well, but I almost always go to bed later than he does (often a lot later). My boyfriend isn't the sort of guy who likes to pester his girlfriend for sex (and will only very rarely interrupt me gaming). Instead he waits until I finally do make it to bed before he starts the suggestive snuggling, by which point I'm far too tired for anything.

I wonder how many people in relationships this is true for. In any case, going to bed earlier would probably be good for my general health as well!

I find it interesting that this article mainly points out specific problems within the gaming culture and not the positives.

That's the topic of the article. The key question was: "Are there issues related to videogames and their usage that we should be thinking about that we aren't?"

 

[Ashadowpie]

the only mental problem i have is a very annoying life career limiting learning disability but if i didnt have games to play when i was sad or pissed off, i'd prolly be in jail right now. i play games for fun all of the time, but when im pissed off, stressed or sad i go play video games so i can concentrate on that while calmly thinking over my life situations. it doesnt even have to be a violent game either, i was so pissed off once and i went and played Harvest Moon and hugged all my cows and chickens and stuff. as long as its a game it'll chill me out.

 

[cfe]

This is a nicely timed post because I've recently been searching for information regarding gaming addiction, ocd, compulusive behaviour etc. I'm trying to understand my particular problem more.

I occasionally go on these binges where I tend to play the same games for a few months straight and clock around 30+ hours a week until I get to the point where I'm fed up and exhausted. I end up uninstalling these games and at that point I feel productive and happy. When I think I've kicked my habit for good I end up returning, having fun, getting despressed, quit and repeat.

When I'm gaming there's a noticeable impact on my personality. I become short tempered, I struggle to concentrate, especially reading. I neglect friends and family. And high priority tasks are usually left until the last minute. My sleeping pattern changes and I tend to stay up until the early hours of the morning. My eating habits also change, fast food is the way to go when I game. Whenever I'm with family and friends I occasionally catch myself thinking thoughts such as "I could be playing X right now instead of listening to their trivial bs".

All this starts off slowly. For example I'll play a few hours a week, then a couple of weeks in my gaming time has quadrupled, until it gets to the point where it's my main focus in life. Only when I realise I'm putting insane hours in is when I quit, uninstall etc.

Perhaps I'm suffering with depression or using gaming as a way to run away from my responsbilities. I know when I'm in the game all I think about is the game and nothing else.

This pattern has been a big part of my life for the last decade.

Maybe I should see a psychologist. But I know deep down this is something I'd never really do and I'd like to think I can solve this issue myself.

 

[Mark J Kline]

Well First off,
About the opening observations, It's interesting how relentlessly defensive about anything Gamers are.
This does not only apply to games but also, genres within games, paricular franchises, brands and any slight difference that could generate preference. Anything can seemingly turn into a life or death personal crusade.

Maybe this is a social situation, not only a gamer thing. I've come across way too many people defending and attacking theories, ideas and beliefs, that dont even directly affect them with an impressive grudge. There seems to be a tendency to a very entitled, outgoing vocal behavior, tied in with the current media exposure available to everyone.

I mean, to be honest I wouldn't be writing this if I didin't think in some level that my opinion matters, and that I have something special and different to say. And we all have that very individualistic rather post-modern Disney induced illusion and hope of self importance.

The immediacy of information and the comfortable protection of non-personal interaction in modern communication also enable this perception further. We can have very extreme opinions and express them with little fear because, chances are someone else will agree, and anyway, it wouldnt really affect your "real life".

I guess this is all beside the point, but it does explore the type of reactions and actions we are seing when anyone or anything challenges our own status-quo (which is obviously TRUTH because I'm me, Right?).

Anyway, about the issues that games bring, I suppose we have to go back to the same old as time question, what came first?
Let's consider today that almost every teenager has some amount of contact with videogames. Videogames are not exclusive at all, and they are becoming less and less so. Completely "mainstream normal" people today get together and play games, as a totally acceptable activity. Of course this players are considered less "Hardcore", and I'm assuming we consider the possible negative effects on them negligible.

So I suppose the problem comes with players that would rather play games than experience other types of interaction. And end up denying and avoiding "real life experiences" in favor of fiction.
Thing is, introverts have existed throughout all human history. People have used Books, Movies, Comics and really any form of fiction as escapism. And to be honest, all those problems you list CAN exist extending from an addiction to any of those mediums.
Can games be more immersive, addictive and consuming? Possibly, since they are a lot more inviting and simple to get into than other formats. But the potential still exist in of the formentioned mediums. Many people in one way or another use all sorts of fiction as a "mental paralytic" and avoid intimate or community experiences, allowing them to experience a more controled (albeit "fake") situation.
I am an introvert, personally, And WAY BEFORE I had any contact with videogames, I used drawing and reading to distance myself from a lot of social contact. Today I play a lot of games, and I am very aware that I'm not an overly social person, even though I don't have any particular issues with people, I am just more reserved, but I would not directly blame videogames for that.

Of course I think that the easy accessibility to the medium enable more people that may be prone to an "antisocial" behaviour to actually approach games (and get stuck on them if not supervised). But once again, Schizophrenics will be schizophrenics, Obsessive compulsive people will behave obsessive compulsively. And in any situation these unchecked disorders will find ways to express themselves, and ultimately hurt the person.
I'm not denying the responsibility of games though, a lot of them don't help expanding the range of interaction options that a player has. But also as far as my experience goes, I have observed that there is a definite effort going into spreading the range of intelectual, emotional and inter-personal engagement through games.

Even the existance of the nintendo wii, with it's profoundly "social" approach, or the how popular the casual mobile market has become show that games are no longer such a defined and enclosed activity.

Experiences such as Journey shine a very different light on what we can expect of games, actually involving the player and asking extremely interesting questions about storytelling, about how our emotional predisposition and our behaviour can be modified through the range of options available to us, about violence, and about what companionship actually means today.