Study: Gamers read, study less but still socialize

The latest scientific study of gamers is kind of a wash for the image of our favorite hobby. On the plus side, adolescents who play games were shown to spend just as much time socializing with family and friends as non-gamers. On the downside, adolescent gamers were found to spend less time reading and doing homework than non-gamers.

The University of Michigan study asked nearly 1,500 10- to 19-year-olds across the country to report how they spent their time during the 2002-03 school year. The roughly 36 percent of the sample that played games spent 30 percent less time reading and 34 percent less time doing homework than their non-gaming peers. Interestingly, the reading deficit came mostly from male gamers while the homework deficit was caused mostly by female gamers, according to a Reuters story on the study. It's not all bad news though; the study also concluded that "gamers and nongamers did not differ in the amount of time they spent interacting with family and friends."

Before you go off believing that gamers are more likely to be lazy ignoramuses, understand that reading and homework time are not direct measures of intelligence. The study author herself admitted to Reuters that "there have been some studies that show that high academic achievers spend less time doing homework." In other words, perhaps gamers have just been trained to work smarter, not harder.

Source: Joystiq

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LaRouche Followers Claim Cover-up in Feds Virginia Tech Report

Last week GamePolitics reported that a Bush Administration study on the Virginia Tech massacre made no mention of video games despite allegations by Miami attorney Jack Thompson and members of the Lyndon LaRouch political action committee that violent games played a role in provoking the rampage.

Following the GP report, the LaRouche PAC called the study a cover-up on its website, and seems to allege some type of conspiracy between the video game industry and websites that reported on the Bush Administration�s findings:

The video game lobby is praising the [Virginia Tech] report for its cover-up of LPAC exposure of the Va Tech massacres. On June 21, on the lobby�s websites and magazines, Games Industry and Gammer [sic] Life, write:

�Despite the efforts of video game critics Jack Thompson and Lyndon LaRouche, the V-Tech report is out with no mention of video games at all� According to GamePolitics, the video game issue was brought up at the V-Tech Review Panel hearings no less than three times by supporters of Lyndon LaRouche PAC.�

The Virginia Tech Review Panel appointed by Gov. Tim Kaine continues to study the April 16th massacre.

Source: Gamepolitics

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Addiction Experts Weigh In On Game Addiction

Kim Phu from Kotaku reports:
Although the AMA still have to vote on the issue of classifying videogame addiction as a mental disorder, it's clear that the majority of the physicians who make up the committee that votes on whether or not the issue makes it into the American Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders would rather postpone the decision until more information can be found.

"Doctors backed away on Sunday from a controversial proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder akin to alcoholism, saying psychiatrists should study the issue more."

"Addiction experts also strongly opposed the idea at a debate at the American Medical Association's annual meeting. They said more study is needed before excessive use of video and online games -- a problem that affects about 10 percent of players -- could be considered a mental illness."

Instead of trying to get the manual updated with video game addiction in it this year, the committee suggested the American Psychiatric Associated consider adding it to the manual in five years when the manual will be up for revision. Which is fine by me. In five years, I'll be so consumed with my alcohol-induced depression, I won't really have time to play video games.

Source: Kotaku

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