Study says games really don't hurt you
by Elizabeth Harper 
Jul 5th 2007 at 5:10PM
Although there were some figures that might suggest that gaming displaced academic activities, such as reading and homework, the total time spent on these pursuits was so small that minor effects were magnified. If people are concerned about the lack of reading done by adolescents, the fact that non-gamers spend only eight minutes a day reading should be a far larger concern than the fact that gaming causes that figure to drop by a little more than two minutes.
And in my experience playing World of Warcraft with both kids and adults, I have to say that the game is very social, and can even teach plenty of social skills. (Well, as long as you eventually level out of Barrens chat.) Of course if you're replacing homework time with World of Warcraft time, that's one thing, but this study doesn't suggest that's what's happening. What's your opinion -- do games like World of Warcraft have a negative effect on our kids?
[Thanks, Mogwai!]
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeremy Jul 5th 2007 5:26PM
I've always thought that online gaming allows for more socialization for kids that are not very social IRL. Also, it's been my experience that MMO'ers are much more likely to be recreational readers than non-gamers in general, so take that as you may.
Iamnotalie Jul 5th 2007 5:43PM
Indeed. I'm one of those who'd spend 1 day a week or less socializing IRL. But with WoW, I have friends that I see every day.
And I definitely agree with #1 that MMO gamers are actually more likely to read, especially considering the books based in this world we've come to love.
spiral prophet Jul 5th 2007 6:03PM
Games don't hurt people.. but authentication server maitnence that shouldn't affect game login but only forum login that DOES stop you from logging into the game even past the stated down time DOES HURT.. *TEAR*
therationalpi Jul 5th 2007 6:10PM
As far as gaming cutting into studying time. Any form of entertainment can be used as a distraction from real work. If it's not gaming, it's television. If it's not television, it's recreational reading. Moreover, recreational reading isn't necessarily better than gaming. You can read trite and meaningless crap and not learn a damned thing.
I guess what I'm getting at is that if school and educational reading are boring, looking for distractions is natural. Having a strong work ethic and desire to learn is the real deciding factor.
amasen Jul 5th 2007 6:16PM
I used to be distracted by the game... Sometimes I wouldn't get my work done because I played it...
Only Before I played WoW, I would get distracted by long distance running and cycling (before I hurt my knee that is).
Before running, I would get distracted by sports.
When I wasn't being distracted by sports it was books.
When it wasn't books, it was women...
Actually, I find women to be the biggest distraction of all... I think they need to be labeled as a controlled substance and only allowed in controlled doses...
Midran Jul 6th 2007 5:37AM
I'm a father of two boys (12 and 13) and since they started to play WoW they actually started to read a lot more. Their command of English language improved drastically as well (we live in Germany, but play on an english server).
Problems with homeworks and school disappeared as well, they started to be responsible with their everyday tasks.
They don't have strictly limited play time simply because they keep it in reasonable limits by themselves. They don't play only WoW, they play other computer games as well, and they play outside with their friends whenever possible.
Their social competence improves as well, because they're in contact with much broader audience as they are in their real life, while still being in a safe environment for kids.
homant Jul 6th 2007 9:36AM
It's harmless until they ask questions on the official forums....
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=116482120&sid=1
and get themselves ytmnd'd
http://ebayedlock.ytmnd.com/
Paw Jul 6th 2007 9:43AM
I think too much of anything is bad for you. Reading included. As someone already pointed out, you can read trash, and reading said trash removes you from society moreso than playing an MMO does.
I think that games such as WoW give people who are otherwise socially incapable a forum to do just that. Often, the inability to function has more to do with a person's shyness in front of others rather than the inability to hold a functional conversation or engage in some sort of physical dysfunction. Those people who would be "shy" in a group of live people are not so when the "live" part is removed, and people are represented, virtually, by an avatar. Misgivings about size (for an unusually small male, or unusually large female) are hidden behind a virtual world where everyone starts from the same level playing field.
I don't watch TV, and I don't spend hours watching sports, like many males my age. Nor do I read for pleasure. I am in a graduate program, and as such I read hundreds of pages of text per week just for one class, so reading for pleasure is out, not that I ever did much of that anyway. Any of these activities are just as removing as playing video games. The difference is that in a WoW type game, my gameplay is interactive not only with the images on the screen, but with the hundreds, thousands, of other people I come across roaming the virtual countryside.
My son plays. He is 15. He is a 4.2 student taking all AP classes (AP classes garner college credit upon successful completion of the course exams). He also plays soccer on 4 different teams in 4 different competion modes (school, traveling, indoor and all-state). Despite this, my wife, as with many others, rides the "waste of time" and "learning no social skills" bandwagon. My response to her, and to others, is if it isn't broken, leave it alone.
However, addiction is another issue. If you die because you cannot pull yourself away from the game: 1. it is too late, you're already dead, and 2. you didn't have a problem with video games, you had a problem with addiction. If you have dropped out of school or quit work to play, or you have not bathed regularly because of your play time, you need help beyond a simple social gathering. You need a therapist and a 12-step program.