Study: Video games do not turn people into misfits

Posted at 3:49 PM on September 16, 2008 by Bob Collins (5 Comments)
Filed under: Surveys and trivia

Video games do not turn people into socially isolated creatures. So says a new study from Pew.

Here's the full report. It comes just a few weeks after an MIT professor debunked 8 myths about video games.

In other news, video games have been blamed for a fiery motorcycle crash, a sex attack, and a satanic sword killing.

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Comments (5)

Glad to see that some of these things are finally getting debunked.

I think that you posted this in the last thread about video games, and it's still appropriate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI
Video games are just the latest in a long line of things that parents blame for the "shocking" actions of their children.

Posted by MR | September 16, 2008 4:24 PM

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Guitar Hero has proven a useful outlet for sibling rivalry in my family. And we're all grown up!

Posted by Heather | September 16, 2008 4:32 PM

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Granted if someone with a disposition or tenedency towards violence, games, movies, magazines, life in the city, reading the newspaper, etc. could all be blamed for a "mirrored" crime.

Those who are provided good medical care, and by that I mean whole health, body, mind, etc. are not going to become socio-paths because they saw, read or played something. Only those who were or are already developing anti-social behaviors, etc. could be motivated to use a method seen in a game, movie, or read about in a newspaper. Copycats have always been around and always will be. Let's stop pointing fingers and get down to saving our kids early on when all signs are pointing to "LOST" or "HELP".

Catalysts are everywhere and the least threatening seem to be media experience. Life experience without intervention is what puts our kids and society at risk.

Posted by Celeste Teal | September 16, 2008 7:02 PM

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What also puts our kids at risk are parents who negelct their kids and feed them a steady diet of junk food, junk movies, and junk videos games. This is one study and I would like to see it replicated before I draw any conclusions.

Posted by Ima Jeanyus | September 17, 2008 1:40 PM

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"I would like to see it replicated before I draw any conclusions." Sorry Ima, but what does that mean? if a study is replicated it will most likely have similar results. I believe one would need to investigate how the study was done, what questions were asked, how random a survey, etc., before wanting the same study revisited. My children have learned numerous things from computer games which do require more skills than one who has never played them can imagine.

Posted by Minn Whaler | September 17, 2008 7:12 PM

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