How Teen Video Gamers Try to Justify Their Addiction

“Playing video games causes teens to withdraw from their communities.” This basic assumption was the hypothesis of a recent survey of teen gamers by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Not surprisingly, the teens who responded to the survey insisted that the opposite is true.

For one thing, these game addicts claim, rather than making them withdraw from interacting with others, many popular games, such as World of Warcraft, involve large groups of players. And, they say, although the players may not be face to face, these games do require teamwork and communication.

They also tried to make the case that gaming actually encourages them to think about deeper issues. 52 percent reported playing games that make them think about moral and ethical issues. 43 percent reported playing games where they have to help decide how a nation, community, or city should be run. And 40 percent reported playing games that teach them something about a social issue.

Well, here at ETR, we don’t buy it. Keep your kids away from video games. Far better to get them involved in activities that directly help them develop the interpersonal skills they need to succeed in life.

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