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Playing videogames causes brain damage
August 22nd 2001, 15:25 CEST by Speed English sensation newspaper <a href="http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,539166,00.html" target=new>The Observer</a> has posted a story which has been taken over already by several other sites including <a href="http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6929338.html?tag=mn_hd" target=new>C|Net</a> stating that Japanese researches have found disturbing evidence that playing videogames causes damage in the frontal brain lobe, making that gamers will grow up to become violent and anti-social people.<blockquote><i>Kawashima asserts that children must be encouraged to practice basic mathematics, reading and writing to boost the development of the frontal lobe. He is convinced that children who play video games excessively will not develop their frontal lobes and will consequently be more prone to violent acts because they will be less able to control their behavior.</i></blockquote>One detail to the whole story is that the Japanese research team is running out of funding and are desperatily looking for new money to continue their research. Press attention is something that might help in getting new fundings and therefore their "findings" are a bit dubious to say the least. What do you think? |
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Topic: Playing videogames causes brain damage
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Shai I would suggest, Jeet, that people have a larger lack of "fun" as children than at any other point in their lives. I know that's an unpopular opinion - but my recollection of being a kid is that it mostly sucked. It was about waiting for other, older people, that you were supposed to respect for no reason, to give you permission to do shit you didn't want to do in the first place. Being an adult, with all of the freedoms and all of the responsibilities, kicks ass over being a kid. I would have to say I agree with this. I'm having more fun at this point in my life than I ever did as a kid. I live on my own, I have money, I have a car and I have total freedom to do whatever the fuck I want to do ... outside of work of course, but even then I make games, so... |
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My mom always told me nintendo would turn my brain to mush. I remember those speeches. I remember being forced to go outside and play because it was better for me. Sitting on the front porch with my friends bitching about not being able to play video games didn't seem all that much better to me ... ;) |
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#36 MCorleone Hey - does anyone know a good game to kill time while at work? Preferably a very simple but good windows-based RPG... Like a Nethack for Windows with a good save feature to click off quickly? Bejewelled is getting tired... Yeah, I know one, but it isn't very popular yet. It's called "Work" -- it's got an experience-based reward system where you get more cash and experience the more projects you complete. Depending on your alignment, you can advance through a bunch of levels until you're actually running a dungeon (they call them "departments" in the game) of your own. (I'm very sorry. :) |
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Aww, that ain't no fun game! -shai |
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. . .gamers will grow up to become violent and anti-social people. Wow! Gamers found to be anti-social!! (Gasp!) What next, Japanese cartoons found to cause epileptic fits or something? Will this wheel of *unprecedented scientific discovery* never end? |
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I remember those speeches. I remember being forced to go outside and play because it was better for me. Sitting on the front porch with my friends bitching about not being able to play video games didn't seem all that much better to me ... ;) Haha...that sounds familiar. I got so addicted to the nintendo (my first gaming system) that my parents had to ration out time for me to play it. An hour per day max. When The Legend of Zelda came out they practically had to physically remove me from the TV room. :) |
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I was always annoyed about having to fix my damn weapons in Magic Candle. And couldn't you also get jobs in that game? |
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#35 Battle-Dwarf Well. Then, how does this 'solution' help if we don't want to acknowledge the problem? Surely you're not suggesting this kind of study might cause video games to _not_ generate enough revenue to substain itself ---eh?? /me hands battle-dwarf correct end of stick. The revenue thing was just a jab at the media peddling anything they can to gain a larger eyeball share, nothing to do with games at all. I should probably have pointed out that the first two paragraphs are in fact cunningly re-worded paragraphs from the observer article done for 'umourous effect, after all, we've all got stunted brains and often miss things like that. And don't call me shirley. |
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Re: kids You guys ever watch "American High"? When I watch that show and there are disputes between the parents and kids, almost every time I find myself siding with the kids. This surprised me, since I expected the adults to be reasonable, but Jesus, I cannot believe how many variations of "because I said so" there are. I agree 100% with Warren: I'm having way more fun now than I ever did as a kid. -brennan |
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39: Yeah, but when I'm waiting for people to finish stuff that I gave them to do, I'd like a little something to kill time. After 2:00 in the afternoons (I start at 7:30am) I like to "camp" and turn the bot on. |
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Hulka : 2 comments -> 1. Which story ? 2. I don't post the stories. I only submit what I think can bring up a good discussion here, and Morn decides wether or not to post them. |
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I guess my opinion wasn't as unpopular as I thought =) -shai |
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shai - I can see your points about grown ups getting to have more fun. I don't see it as such, though. Maybe different fun, but I certanily wouldn't say more fun. Let's do a quick rundown. Kid Pros - zero responsibility, large capacity for the suspension of disbelief, the joy of discovery, TOYS, could get excited over getting a .50 candy bar, anything with buttons was fascinating, talking about adults and how stuffy they were, discovering girls, etc... Adult Pros - money to buy expensive toys, the illusion of complete freedom (more on that in a minute), um....ok, working a job you like (small percentage of adults) Kid Cons - Bedtimes, answering to adults, having to play nice with others, sharing, being treated like a kid, school, homework Adult Cons - more money renders the ability to get excited over a .50 candy bar moot, as it's no longer special....(so you get excited about a $400 game console instead....same thing, basically), complete freedom is a bullshit illusion - adults are typically bound to their jobs and the paychecks they bring, rent, utilities, bosses, accountability, responsibility, bedtimes (if you have a job that demands you show up to work on time, of course) Basically the two are pretty similar, except that the context of things changes slightly. Kids get summer off, adults get two weeks. Kids don't have to pay for their vacation, but adults don't get told they can't buy something. It's a series of trade offs. I would much prefer to be a kid again for the simple fact that I had a great childhood. I had a lot of friends, good parents, was a bit of a miscreant, got into trouble, got out of trouble, had lots of adventures. It was great. Being an adult is much the same, but on a different level. I still have good friends and good parents, I'm still a bit of a social malcontent, I still get into trouble, but I get out of it a lot more often now, and I still have adventures. The thing is, I have responsibilities now that I didn't have as a kid. For every freedom it looks like we have, there is something that counters it. Maybe if we all had jobs we loved that weren't exceedingly demanding, life would be great. But most people have to work high stress jobs where the reward for skill and hard work is only more work, and when you spend most of your life on the job, the positives just don't quite seem to outweigh the negatives most of the time. There are times when I enjoy being an adult, don't get me wrong. I love being able to go out when I want. I love being able to get drunk. I love being able to sleep with your sisters. I just hate when they talk. :) Uncle "Do I Hate My Job?" Jeet |
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I got drain bramage! |
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In reflection upon the issues of parents berating children for wasting too much time on garbage like video games, let me just say this: Any parent who said that sort of thing, then went out to play a game of golf is a goddamned hypocrite. Talk about a brain-softening experience. Same goes for soap operas, knitting, or developing a really nice meerschaum pipe. (they mature over time, you know) Lots of idiot savants are exceptionally proficient at studies such as math, music, trivia, or other such intellectual pursuits. Gaming even. If a go-tard can put a prodigy to shame, I'd say mental development isn't as huge an issue as the farce of a study would make it out to be. The rest of the crap they're trying to feed the media machine aside, I mean. |
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My sisters are 10 and 12, Jeet. What does that say about you? ;) Re: Your arguments - I agree with most of them, but I'd like to point out that I specifically said "the freedoms and responsibilities" when referring to adulthood. I never mentioned anything about "complete freedom". In fact, I think part of what allows one to appreciate the freedom they do get as an adult, is the inherent responsibility that also comes along. My jobs pretty friggin' cool though, so that may color my appreciation of being an adult some. -shai |
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shai - Gah! Ok, then....hrmmm, got any cousins? Uncle "I'll Take A Mom In A Pinch" Jeet |
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shai, Warren, brennan: "it's cool being an adult, i can do what i want." none of you are married, are you? :) |
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#54 crash shai, Warren, brennan: "it's cool being an adult, i can do what i want." none of you are married, are you? :) Heh. Obviously not. I haven't been able to "do what I want" for years, but I'm not really complaining. |
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crash shai, Warren, brennan: "it's cool being an adult, i can do what i want." none of you are married, are you? :) No. But do you think that's an accident? :) |
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But do you think that's an accident? :) Well, knowing how gamers and developers can be....=) |
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HAH! Yes, I am, since June 10 of last year. But I never said I can do anything I want, just that I'm having fun as an adult. :) -brennan |
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Warren: ;-p brennan: HAH! Yes, I am, since June 10 of last year. But I never said I can do anything I want, just that I'm having fun as an adult. :) ahh, ok. nice dodge. :D |
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er, change "Warren" above to "Warren and shai: ;-p" feh. |
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#1: Bitch! Just wait for PC 6.0! Sucker! lol ... ok, it was me ;) looking forward to PC 6 :) Adult Pros - money to buy expensive toys unless, of course, you're a penniless game developer :) doh! Adult Cons - complete freedom is a bullshit illusion Not necessarily :) I'm not bound to a job, admittedly I need some source of money, but I can get that just by working at a grocery store or something ... and you can always just go and live in the rainforest if you really want that much freedom :) Yeah, I know one, but it isn't very popular yet. It's called "Work" lol :) ... and if anyone else from WG is reading this, someone needs to fix TWiki :) I give up trying to get ssh to the box :) |
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... and I'd like to apologise for the amazing number of smilies I managed to fit in that post. And it gives me a chance to talk some more, because I'm bored, and since warpedgames TWiki isn't working, I can't just spam that :P To be quite honest, I don't think the "computer games are good" vs "computer games are bad" argument will ever be resolved ... some silly people will carry on arguing that they corrupt the young, etc, and the rest of us will just get on with our lives... |
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Actually, I've just thought of something ... you could probably fiddle tons of free computer games out of a university department or something by doing 'research' like this ... tell them you're researching the effects of computer games on kids, and you get them to both pay you for the research AND buy you lots of games! |
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crash - I never claimed complete freedom. See: My explanation to Jeet re: the benefits of responsibility. No, I'm not married. I have little interest in marriage at this time, nor am I likely to in the forseeable future. =) Tho one could make the argument that, as a married person, one still has every bit as much freedom, they just choose not to excercise it for one reason or the other (love, sense of commitment, apathy, creeping horror, whatever). -shai |
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Being married shouldn't take away any fun from your life. If my own marriage can serve as an example, my advice is to simply marry the right guy. This advice, however, may not be applicable across the board. |
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>>Being married shouldn't take away any fun from your life. If my own marriage can serve as an example, my advice is to simply marry the right guy.<< Yeah Warren, you just need to marry the right guy. |
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Caryn, I think that is a beautiful message. If I ever find the right guy, I will marry too. As long as the right guy is a sheila. |
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Return Fire! http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2806665,00.html?chkpt=zdnnp1tp02 |
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ok, well that didn't work. Click here Must be playing too many video games =p |
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the same argument can go for the average office workers job. one can become less able to do multiple things IF one does not keep doing multiple things. period.. i agree that children regardless always do more than just video games |
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In all seriousness, getting married was, thus far, the best thing I ever did. If anything, the extra responsibility that came from marrying someone who occasionally cleaned up after themselves and didn't spend money like a brain damage victim was long overdue on my part. I'm happier than ever. Hey, you know what? Wouldn't it be great if *you* guys were married? We can just match up crappers and all go out as couples! Whoo! And geez, isn't it time you goddamn people grew up anyways?! -brennan |
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Hey, you know what? Wouldn't it be great if *you* guys were married? We can just match up crappers and all go out as couples! Whoo! And geez, isn't it time you goddamn people grew up anyways?! Yeah yeah, and we should get haircuts and get real jobs. I've heard this before, OK? ;) |
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#67 m0nty Caryn, I think that is a beautiful message. If I ever find the right guy, I will marry too. Yeah, following my advice to the letter is only for the truly adventurous average 'Crapper... (And Apache, you belabored my implied joke, dammit!) |
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Video games do not hurt the frontal lobes. Badly Aimed Nail guns do. But what fucking nukes the brain to mush is tech support jobs. Are. Is. Whatever. See what I mean? LPMiller Chief News Editor http://www.gotapex.com |
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I don't know about the real job part, but this guy could use a haircut. |
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Planet Crap has impared the development of my brain and made me violent and anti-social. I am preventing further damage by using a foil helmet |
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brennan (#71): Hey, you know what? Wouldn't it be great if *you* guys were married? We can just match up crappers and all go out as couples! What is it with married people and wanting everyone else to get married? Have you been taken over by pod people? I'm having flashbacks to System Shock 2: "Join us..." "KILL ME!" Apart from that, there is the fact that 98% of Crappers are blokes. Bags me not having to pair up with GeekGirl! |
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#77 m0nty What is it with married people and wanting everyone else to get married? Elaine, you've gotta have a baby! *cough* It's like that with a lot of things. People prefer it if they can share the experience with their friends so you'll find similar offers from almost all types of people. After all, look at us game players trying to get other people playing games. Who here ever smoked just so they could hang out with the 'cool croud' at school? (no, I didn't. But then I wasn't cool) Apart from that, there is the fact that 98% of Crappers are blokes. Bags me not having to pair up with GeekGirl! Sure sure. You'd love having a girl that keeps you happy and defragments your harddrive ;) |
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I was a rebel from the day I left school, grew my hair long and broke all the rules I'd sit and listen to my records all day, with big ambitions of where I could play My parents taught me what life was about, so I grew up the type they warned me about They said my friends were just an unruly mob, and I should get a haircut and get a real job Get a haircut and get a real job, clean your act up and don't be a slob Get it together like your big brother bob, why don't you get a haircut and get a real job I even tried that 9 to 5 scene, I told myself that it was all a bad dream I found a band and some good songs to play, and now I party all night, I sleep all day I met this chick she was my No. 1 fan, she took me home to meet her mommy and dad They took one look at me and said, "Oh my god", get a haircut and get a real job Get a real job, why don't you get a real job Get a real job, why don't you get a real job I hit the big time with my rock 'n' roll band, the future's brighter now than I'd ever planned I'm ten times richer than my big brother bob, and he, he's got a haircut he's got a real job Why don't you get a haircut and get a real job |
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Quicken (#78): Sure sure. You'd love having a girl that keeps you happy and defragments your harddrive ;) Is that what they call it these days? You young whippersnappers, you've got a new word for everything. <sexista***hole> I've been there, done that with indie chicks with smart mouths. They tend to be very high maintenance, and unfortunately don't usually have a volume switch. </sexista***hole> Other than that, they are perfect for nerdy overweight introverted smartarses like me. Admittedly, I'm no Jeremy Witt, so I don't have any smoove tipz for makin' it wid the ladeez. Also, I am Australian, so my usual technique incorporates blows to the head with a can of beer and dragging by the hair to the nearest cave. Man, my head hurts when I wake up! |
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Oops, that last one was me... damn Opencrap. |
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Phil sucks dicks for the NY KNICKS OMG, Battle-Dwarf! Nice diss on Evil Avatar. That little bitch won't admit that his ass was lying about the Homeworld 2 stuff. Banned several Homeworld fansite admins from there, even the ones who were not "trolling", and changing passwords to "cheesedick". :p |
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OMG, Battle-Dwarf! Nice diss on Evil Avatar. Yeah, sheer brilliance. Almost as good as "poopy pants" or "stupid dumb head". |
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I thought dis only had one S? |
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Terata (#84): I thought dis only had one S? Dis dis is de diss/dis dis. |
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Apparently it's "dis". But like who gives a fuk aboot speilling and gramer? Totally unrelated but interesting fact: dis n : god of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Pluto |
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