The post millennial generation will be socially stunted.

[bradley]

Not impressed with the linked article. There is prejudice about video gaming among people who don't game. For example, the average American watches about 21 hours of TV per week, and no one says this is a crisis. But if it's 21 hours of video games, it's an "addiction." This in spite of the fact that there can be both social and interactive aspects of video games, while watching TV is not social and is non-interactive. There is more social contact, and more brain stimulation, in gaming than there is with television, but no one bothers about television anymore because it's an accepted national pass time that goes back 70 years.

There's never much science behind these observations. The article reads as a series of quotes from "experts" with very little research mentioned. There's a reason why video game addiction isn't in the DSMIV and hasn't been officially designated as a disorder - because it's junk science.

It's all a crisis.... of inactivity and a loss of functionality and imagination. And yeah, more Americans live in virtual dream state than ever in trying to escape reality.

Classic example is the video game Second Life, where people live their lives virtually in a heart attack serious way.

Esteban Winsmore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEhTn0v7bDI

And yes, some video games, especially first person shooters, do make participants more socially aggressive. I've even had a few gamers admit as much to me, including one telling me that incessantly playing Grand Theft Auto 5 almost makes him forget to drive, in real life, without hitting people and sometimes he frighteningly gets the urge.

And btw, while TV viewership is down, Americans actually still vegetate in front of a television on average of 35 hours per week. This number leads other countries by a substantial margin. Those over 65yo watch 50 hours per week and those between 18-24yo watch 18 hours a week. And that doesn't even count video games, social media, Internet video on demand and movie theater attendance. And they only are outdoors 1.7 hours a day. Incidentally, Asian-Americans watch the least amount of tv of any demographic.

 

[Ichigo]

I've even had a few gamers admit as much to me, including one telling me that incessantly playing Grand Theft Auto 5 almost makes him forget to drive, in real life, without hitting people and sometimes he frighteningly gets the urge.

Sometimes I frighteningly get the urge to punch people who make up stupid shit like this online.

 

[BxgJ]

This isn't new.... I grew up in the 80's and we had video games. Some parents complained about violent movies. We grew up fine. Thirty years later, I hear the same arguments.

 

[MajinCry]

Sometimes I frighteningly get the urge to punch people who make up stupid shit like this online.

Hoo boy. I think you can figure this one out yourself.

 

[bradley]

Sometimes I frighteningly get the urge to punch people who make up stupid shit like this online.

The Internet has created a lot of anonymous keyboard warriors like yourself, probably a pussycat in real life. If you know of a gamer called Nadeshot, he said something similar in a Youtube video... but attributed it to being overtired. Just like all the young guys that pretend their Internet porn habit isn't responsible for their soft erections.

Yeah, I'm making it all up; get back behind that joystick and head to sleep.

 

[Mandres]

It's all a crisis.... of inactivity and a loss of functionality and imagination. And yeah, more Americans live in virtual dream state than ever in trying to escape reality.

Classic example is the video game Second Life, where people live their lives virtually in a heart attack serious way.

Esteban Winsmore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEhTn0v7bDI

And yes, some video games, especially first person shooters, do make participants more socially aggressive. I've even had a few gamers admit as much to me, including one telling me that incessantly playing Grand Theft Auto 5 almost makes him forget to drive, in real life, without hitting people and sometimes he frighteningly gets the urge.

And btw, while TV viewership is down, Americans actually still vegetate in front of a television on average of 35 hours per week. This number leads other countries by a substantial margin. Those over 65yo watch 50 hours per week and those between 18-24yo watch 18 hours a week. And that doesn't even count video games, social media, Internet video on demand and movie theater attendance. And they only are outdoors 1.7 hours a day. Incidentally, Asian-Americans watch the least amount of tv of any demographic.

Don't be a fucking idiot. The Grand Theft Auto series has sold 150 million copies worldwide over the last 10 years. If somehow, someway, Grand Theft Auto turned people into violent sociopaths I guarantee you would have more solid evidence to point to than some random dude telling you stories.

I've been playing video games since I was nine years old and it's still my biggest hobby. I have a master's degree, a professional license and successful career, a wife and happy family. Some of my lifelong friendships were forged over Street Fighter 2 back in the day.

 

[MajinCry]

Don't be a fucking idiot. The Grand Theft Auto series has sold 150 million copies worldwide over the last 10 years. If somehow, someway, Grand Theft Auto turned people into violent sociopaths I guarantee you would have more solid evidence to point to than some random dude telling you stories.

I've been playing video games since I was nine years old and it's still my biggest hobby. I have a master's degree, a professional license and successful career, a wife and happy family. Some of my lifelong friendships were forged over Street Fighter 2 back in the day.

Ah look, a strawman!

He posited that being surrounded by violent media, particularly that which requires interaction to engage in it, can influence some people's personality.

Of course that happens; we see it all the time in other manifestations; from soldier worship, to unrealistic expectations of a relationship, and the sudden need to get the latest and greatest shiny-shiny.

 

[bradley]

Don't be a fucking idiot. The Grand Theft Auto series has sold 150 million copies worldwide over the last 10 years. If somehow, someway, Grand Theft Auto turned people into violent sociopaths I guarantee you would have more solid evidence to point to than some random dude telling you stories.

I've been playing video games since I was nine years old and it's still my biggest hobby. I have a master's degree, a professional license and successful career, a wife and happy family. Some of my lifelong friendships were forged over Street Fighter 2 back in the day.

Don't let me stop you from enjoying your hobby. But you cannot stop me from being truthful either. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Realistically violent video games represent a very powerful force enough to alter brain chemistry.

I also didn't say that increased aggression correlated to increased violent acts or "turned people into violent sociopaths; that's the leap you made. But it takes some basic common sense to comprehend that virtually participating in violent acts has the potential for increasing the signs of aggression, whether visible to the naked eye or an EEG or EKG.

We also live in a more immediate gratification society and aggressive driving has increased dramatically over the past two decades. According to the NHTSA 66% of all traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving and 37% of those incidents involve firearms and young males are most likely to exhibit roadrage.

And yeah the scariest statistic is that 2% of those drivers admit to wanting to drive their perceived aggressor off the road, speaking of my previous statement being questioned. Google it. 50% of all drivers also say they experience aggressive driving and road rage at least once a driving session.

Yeah, we being influenced by outside factors; we aren't being influenced by how we predominantly choose to live our lives. OK

This article represents my rationale on whether video games increases the exhibition of aggression....

Do violent video games increase aggression?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-psyched/201201/do-violent-video-games-increase-aggression

Yeah they do.

 

[norseamd]

No, I am not different. Your quote is full of crap.

 

[Zorba]

The parents that just shove a cell phone in front a toddler, probably aren't the type of parents that would've been interacting with their child in a positive way otherwise, so I doubt this will have a massive effect on the next generation. Every generation has had its share of terrible parents.

The things that will hurt the next generation the most in their ultimate development are first the demographics of who is having kids and the breakdown of the stable family/household. The erosion of the middle class and the mass decline of well paying non-professional jobs, lowering the standard of living of the average kid, which has been shown to have a large impact on their future success. And finally the astronomical increase in the cost of education.

BTW: All of you old farts claiming that a millennials cant hold a conversation should go around an engineering company. A lot of boomers looked scared that you might speak to them and the millennials won't STFU. The most socially awkward people I've ever worked with have all been boomers, although definitely not all boomers have this issue I think it is more of an old timer engineer issue.

 

[pcgeek11]

The parents that just shove a cell phone in front a toddler, probably aren't the type of parents that would've been interacting with their child in a positive way otherwise, so I doubt this will have a massive effect on the next generation. Every generation has had its share of terrible parents.

The things that will hurt the next generation the most in their ultimate development are first the demographics of who is having kids and the breakdown of the stable family/household. The erosion of the middle class and the mass decline of well paying non-professional jobs, lowering the standard of living of the average kid, which has been shown to have a large impact on their future success. And finally the astronomical increase in the cost of education.

BTW: All of you old farts claiming that a millennials cant hold a conversation should go around an engineering company. A lot of boomers looked scared that you might speak to them and the millennials won't STFU. The most socially awkward people I've ever worked with have all been boomers, although definitely not all boomers have this issue I think it is more of an old timer engineer issue.

Did you think that maybe they just do not want to talk to millennials.

 

[MongGrel]

Did you think that maybe they just do not want to talk to millennials.

Probably more likely.

 

[Zorba]

Did you think that maybe they just do not want to talk to millennials.

Not when they do it to everyone. Its no where near every boomer, just some. And they are engineers, so that probably has much more to do with than being a boomer. But it is ridiculous to claim boomers as a whole are great conversationalist while claiming millennials as a whole can't hold a basic conversation.

 

[shortylickens]

Can you imagine Jessi Slaughter having kids?