Video Games and the Stigma on Gamers

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For as long as I’ve played video games, I’ve been confronted with the stereotype of the typical “gamer.”  To this day I fight that stereotype, even though my game playing is almost all but non-existent.  People hear “Gamer” and they think of a basement dwelling, socially inadequate man-child (or woman-child, as the case may be) who hasn’t grown up.  I’ve seen it so much that I find myself not even using the term “Gamer.”  After all, I read books too, but nobody asks me if I’m a “booker.”

For years, I’ve asserted that this stereotype isn’t accurate.  Even when I laugh at Conan O’Brien’s hilarious Clueless Gamer segments, I still find him falling on the cheap joke of the nasally, socially awkward nerd.  The joke may still be on me, but as it turns out, science is on my side of this debate.

Published recently by Howe’s LifeCourse Associates, a new study is breaking the stigma and finds that gamers are more social and more intelligent than non-Gamers.  Admittedly, the study defines a Gamer as any person who has played a game, even once, in the last 60 years.  Fairly generous by any stretch, but I’m no elitist.  Whether one plays one game or a thousand, you will be welcomed among the rank of gamers in my book.  The vast majority of those in the study reported less than 10 hours of game play per week, with the largest subset of those between 3 to 5 hours per week.

The study involved surveying individuals, sorting answers based on those who had played games and those who hadn’t.  Ultimately, for those of us in the community of video games, many of the results are not surprising.  As it turns out, gamers are more likely to embrace new technology and media.  With new media comes more opportunities to connect with others.  Therefore, gamers are far more likely to engage in social media and texting.

The survey questions went beyond just gaming and media and attempted to infer social responsibility of those surveyed.  These results are a bit more surprising.  Gamers, more so than non-gamers, desire to have a positive impact on the world, support social causes that are important to them, and tend to be smarter consumers with respect to the practices of the companies they frequent.

In terms of family life, gamers were found to value family higher than non-gamers by a significant margin, and valued their social interactions more than non-gamers.  They also were found to be more interested in contributing to their friendships than non-gamers.  Gamers are also more likely to have college degrees and full-time jobs.

There were also some very strange behaviours noted in this study.  For example, over ten percent of the non-gamers reported to using a gaming console.  Maybe Microsoft was onto something?  Sports TV sports sports, anybody?

Now, I could take these results and hang my hat on them as is, but as always, these results need to be tempered with a healthy reality check and an ever vigilant warning against complacency.  For example, there are almost infinitely more factors involved in the make-up of a healthy family life outside of just video game use.  Despite the statistics, I’ve always maintained that statistics mean nothing at the individual level.

It’s also worth noting that professional success is not reliant on a college degree, as is assumed by the study.  Many skilled labor jobs and military jobs to not require a college degree, and I’d challenge anybody to issue a blanket statement calling those individuals stupid.

Another wake up call is that, recalling what I’ve said above, the majority of those who identified as gamers play less than 10 hours per week .  I include myself among those.  Individuals whose gaming far exceeds that into extremes will likely find themselves not valuing their social and family time as much as those who balance their gaming more evenly.

Perhaps it goes to show that, taking in moderation, gaming contributes to healthy development.  Or, perhaps, it only goes to show that young X-gens and millennials, those most likely to have played games, are generally a more socially conscious sort than the Greatest generation.  The data is interesting, and certainly challenges the stereotype, but it’s hardly the final word on the topic.  If I could encourage the Enthusiacs out there of anything, it’s to enjoy all your hobbies responsibly, remember the people who are important to you, and be civil to each other.

2 Responses to Video Games and the Stigma on Gamers

  1. JaracRassen says:

    Fascinating study. I especially like the part about gamers being more likely to own college degrees than non-gamers and being more socially active. Really, gaming is more than a hobby, it is a lifestyle. Many friends are created, many rivalries are fostered. Heck, if you look at EVE online players, many of them are normal people, not this geeky stereotype some think it is. But honestly, I think even that stereotype has been dying out. Gaming has come a long way (especially here in the States) since the Industry Crash in the early 80’s. It’s become a lot more accepted and valuable in our worldwide culture. And that’s not gonna change anytime soon.

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