This week we discussed several subjects, but the one I am choosing to post on relates to video games and how they have expanded with internet and social technology. I don't have anything against video games, I used to play them occasionally as a child, but as I've gotten older I've found that it was never a priority to begin with and thus doesn't deserve the time, money, or energy that I don't have just to "connect" with other gamers. The video game industry currently valued at well above 68 billion dollars a year globally. That's billion with a B. That's more money generate by video game sales than the movie and music industries combined. There's a reason that it's so successful, it's because it can be addictive. Take a look at the statistics below, a few of which I will highlight afterwards:
(Click link below to enlarge)
There were a few facts I found alarming. Remember, this infographic is from 2009, and the industry has only grown year over year. The average age of all gamers is 34 years old. I am 30 years old now and I only assumed that playing video games was supposed to decrease the older you got. Does this mean I might pick them up later on? Will I be buying games when I am 39 years old? I suppose generationally it makes sense, for the first time the average adult grew up with access to video games in the home for their entire lives and now they can play them to connect with their children.
Another fact I found particularly distressing is that the average gamer spends 8 hours a week play video games! That is likely in addition to unbelievable 35 hours a week they spend watching television! That's nearly 2 days a week spent in front of a screen with your mind being held hostage. What has become of our culture that this is acceptable behavior? Why are these games so important to us? Is real life so dreadful that we need to set aside two days a week to escape it?
The last fact above that I find surprising are the percentage of parents (64%) that believe video games are a positive part of their children's lives. 67% ( approximately 210,313,000 people) of US households are playing video games...which means that 64% of those, well over a million people, find it fitting for their children to play games.
Here is why I have to question that:
Boy, 13, held on charges he killed cousin, 16, over Xbox
Teen Arrested For Killing Brother Over ‘Flappy Bird’ Game
And these were only the first few articles on the first page. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of instances where adolescents (and several adults as well) were driven to violence over a video game confrontation. I don't have the answer to why because I frankly don't understand it. What is the obsession with these fantasy worlds that we build ourselves? We know they aren't real and yet we allow ourselves to be affected by them beyond rationality. I think that most things are acceptable in moderation. And I do believe that there are positive benefits to game play, especially when you are forced to challenge your mind, but the compulsion and addiction scares me and I think it should worry other people as well. It's important to be self aware, and hey...why not go outside every once in while?
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