Think video games make kids anti-social? Think again.
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 |As an adult male who enjoys the occasional video game, I find myself constantly having to justify this choice of entertainment to other adults - you know, the ones that claim video games are “evil,” “a waste of time,” “anti-social,” “satanic,” etc. These arguments usually consist of the other adults name-calling gamers while I explain that video games are really just a synthesis of the traditional arts (visual, musical, literary) with an element of interaction thrown in. By the end of our conversations these (ignorant) individuals usually concede that video games aren’t THAT bad, but they are rarely willing to go so far as to admit that video games could actually confer positive benefits on those that participate in them.
Along those lines, I’m very excited about the new Pew Internet Project paper that came out today. A PDF of the report - titled “Teens, Video Games, and Civics” - is available at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Games_and_Civics_Report_FINAL.pdf
(For those who don’t know, the Pew Internet Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that examines the impact of the internet on American life.)
Here are two of its most interesting revelations, IMO:
97% of teens (ages 12-17), including 99% of boys and 94% of girls, play video games
This statistic should be a wake-up call to all the idiots looking to ban and/or strictly legislate video game usage. Take note: this art medium is here to stay. You can’t uninvent games or pretend they doesn’t exist. Your kids - whether you want them to or not - are probably playing a video game at least once a week. So instead of trying to eliminate games in general, let’s examine constructive ways to utilize this modern medium.
Gaming is a surprisingly social activity
65% of game-playing teens play with other people who are in the room with them, while 27% play games with people who they connect with through the internet. Only 11% of teens play video games solely by themselves. (I also hope this statistic is a wake-up call to game developers. Co-op modes are a HUGE selling point for casual gamers!)
In conclusion
This latest Pew report is very interesting, and I’d strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the modern dynamics of video games. The section on civic gaming experiences was surprising, as were the numbers on parental involvement in gaming.
And to anyone who bashes guys like me for enjoying games - you’d better watch out now that I have hard statistics to back up my hobby… 
