We’ve all read the stories about kids playing games like World of Warcraft till they keel over, but did you know that, generally speaking, gaming is bad for your social and family life? A proper academic study says so, so far be it from us well-adjusted (I think I just qualify as “well-adjusted”) gamers to suggest otherwise.
It’s like this: the study, carried out by Brigam Young University researchers, and published in today’s Journal of Youth and Adolescence, says that gaming, as an activity, is necessarily done at the expense of other, more socially fulfilling activities. That is to say for every hour of Fallout 3 you play on your Xbox 360, that’s one less hour you’ve spent with dead old dad [EDIT: TYPO STAYS!]. Or, similarly, people who lack social skills (/me raises hands, high) tend to drown their sorrows, so to speak, in video games.
Oh, and the study also suggests that there’s a link between playing games and risky behavior—drugs, alcohol, etc. That one I find hard to believe, as self-styled gamers are pretty mild mannered. I don’t know too many people who split their time between playing Dragon Quest and doing keg stands. Then again, I only know like three people anymore, so my data samaple is admittedly on the small side.
Now you watch that video and tell me gaming is anti-social.