[lbo-talk] videogamers: a profile

[Alan Rudy]

So... your argument is that depressed, introverted and unfulfilled people
should play videogames, or collect stamps, rather than play videogames, or
collect stamps, alongside a range of activities that might, all in
combination, reduce videogame playing but generate an overall more
fulfilling, social and enjoyable life?

I'm not taking an anti-video game position, or suggesting that we oughta
generalize about videogamers - if I had to guess I'd imagine a breakdown by
games might be of some use, I'm just saying, directionally causal or not, if
there's a correlation it might be worth a little bit more than this kind of
dismissal.

On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 4:10 PM, Bhaskar Sunkara
<bhaskar.sunkara at gmail.com>wrote:


> I don't entirely buy this study.  Adults who are playing video games
> regularly for many hours a day are going to on average be more depressed
> and
> less extroverted and fulfilled then those who have more important things
> occupying their time.  It seems to absurd to think that video games caused
> the depression, introversion, lack of social integration, etc, and much
> more
> likely that it was a response to it.  I'd like to see a similar study of
> adult stamp collectors....
>
> On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 4:01 PM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> > <
> >
> http://www.ajpm-online.net/webfiles/images/journals/amepre/AMEPRE_2561.pdf
> > >
> >
> > Significant differences between video-game players and
> > nonplayers are evident within both domains of personal
> > determinants (Table 2). Video-game players reported more
> > depression, lower extraversion, and greater psychoticism
> > than nonplayers. Differences are also evident for three of the
> > five measures in the health-assessment domain: Video-
> > game players reported lower health status, a higher
> > frequency of poor-mental-health days, and higher BMI.
> >
> > Significant differences between video-game players
> > and nonplayers within both domains of environmental
> > determinants are also evident (Table 2). Video-game
> > players reported that they received less social support
> > from family members and friends and that they per-
> > ceived the Internet community as a positive social
> > support. Video-game players also estimated that they
> > spent more time using both the Internet and TV.T2
> >
> >
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-- 
*********************************************************
Alan P. Rudy
Dept. Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Central Michigan University
124 Anspach Hall
Mt Pleasant, MI 48858
517-881-6319