Page 28 - MidWeek - Aug 25 2021

28 MIDWEEK AUGUST 25, 2021
During quarantine, my boyfriend start- ed spending two or three hours a night playing video games. Not only do I think this is unhealthy (since video games apparently lead to violence and psycholog- ical problems), but I think gaming has become a coping mechanism/escape tool for him. How can I get him to stop? – Annoyed
THE SCIENCE ADVICE GODDESS Amy Alkon
‘Wii’ Are Not Amused By Too Much Gaming
There’s been a lot of “moral panic” over video gaming. A moral panic is a mass overreac- tion to some behavior, art form, or group of people, driven by the fear that it poses a threat to society’s values and the social order. Examples include rock lyrics said to be corrupting teenagers and the belief in the 1980s that satanic cults were running nursery schools.
So, what about studies that claim otherwise? Experimental psychologists Andrew Przy- bylski and Amy Orben explain that this research is largely “riddled with methodologi- cal errors” — errors so major they change the conclusion of a study.
or City Hall until, like, Tues- day, when they got assigned to the science beat. They have no chops to critically analyze studies that, for example, claim video gaming turns normal teens into violent teens: like, if you let a kid play shoot-’em-up games, he’s supposedly more likely to take to a campus bell tower with an AR-15.
By the way, contrary to the tired ’80s/’90s stereotype of video games played by an isolated loser in the base- ment, online gaming connects gamers around the globe. Gamers make friends and are part of a community. (Best of all, in the virtual world, no- body’s breathing on anybody, so gamers’ friendships are immune to lockdowns.) And though there’s a widespread assumption that gaming caus- es social awkwardness, it often opens up a social world for the sort of person who’d rather RVSP to be put to death than go make small talk face to face at a party.
Now, maybe you are so
anti-video game that your re- lationship just won’t fly any- more. But consider whether it’s actually your boyfriend’s gaming that’s bothering you — or whether you’re longing for more attention than he’s been giving you. If it’s the latter, chances are the answer is not just time spent but quality time: being really present and affec- tionate when you’re together. Tell him what you need, and see whether he’s up for pro- viding it. It’s understandably upsetting to have serious com- petition for your boyfriend’s attention — whether it’s from another woman or the 26 dru- ids he has to gun down before dinner.
MYTH:
“If I had a hearing problem, I’d probably know it.”
FACT:
Not necessarily. Hearing loss develops slowly. Plus, our own ability to compensate and adjust to gradual hearing changes makes hearing loss difficult to recognize.
Claiming gaming causes violence is like claiming white wine causes stabbings. (Give somebody a sip of chardonnay and before you know it, they’ll be dealing meth and then ar- rested, convicted and shanking somebody in prison.)
Reporters inexperienced in covering science typically chronicle the findings of just one (possibly flawed) study — without reviewing the body of research on gaming (dozens or even hundreds of studies). If they did this, they would see “the emerging picture from the research literature,” summed up by psychologist Pete Etchells, who studies the psychological and behavioral effects of playing video games: “Video games don’t appear to have a meaningful impact on aggressive behaviour, and cer- tainly aren’t the root cause of mass acts of societal violence.”
Contrary to the old stereotype, video games aren’t played by isolated losers. In truth, online gaming connects people around the world.
gaming or burglarizes the neighbors to buy a bunch of new games, well, that reflects what Przybylski and Orben call “problematic gaming.” How-
ever, they explain that this af- flicts only a “small subset” of gamers, and it’s likely driven by underlying problems such as anxiety and depression.
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It’s easy to succumb to a moral panic. Though we like to see ourselves as careful, rational thinkers, when we’re afraid, we engage in reason- ing that’s better described as “emotioning.” This makes us prone to believe “if it bleeds, it leads” news stories that report “research says” video games are addictive, lead to social iso- lation, and cause some to be- come violent or more violent.
Why guess about your hearing?
These media reports aren’t lies per se, but the product of reporters understandably un- able to parse scientific method- ology — usually because they were reporting on celebrities
That said, you aren’t wrong that video games can be a “coping mechanism”: think- ing and/or behavior we deploy to manage stressful situations and painful emotions. Coping mechanisms themselves — whether going for a run, taking a bath, or engaging in a couple hours of Mortal Kombat — are not bad.
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On the other hand, if your boyfriend is at risk of losing his job because he can’t stop
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