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Usually love the Economist -- and I read it regularly -- but I think this article is bullshit. It's the same kind of nonsense people were writing in the mid and
by dvt 10y ago
Usually love the Economist -- and I read it regularly -- but I think this article is bullshit. It's the same kind of nonsense people were writing in the mid and late-90s: that violent games cause violent tendencies. Luckily, those claims ended up being completely debunked by dozens of studies.
Now, we have a "gaming epidemic" that has gripped the unemployed, underemployed, and depressed? Give me a break. Gaming is simply the cheapest form of entertainment and escapism today. In the 70s, it was movies. In the 60s? I don't know, drugs?
My point is that gaming is used here as a red herring (heck the article even admits to this: "gaming isn't the problem" in one of the last paragraphs). Really, this has nothing to do with gaming, and everything to do with the growing pains of every generation. The article also tries to awkwardly criticize common-sense truisms, e.g.: "Many gamers (Guillaume among them) report that they are happy with the decision to work less and game more."
Uh.. duh? Even I would be happy working less and gaming more, and I have a pretty awesome job. Is it really some kind of poignant discovery that people would rather have fun than work? Here's another example: "For Emily, and for many others, games were not the luxury luring her away from career. They were a comfort blanket and distraction, providing some solace when the working world offered only bitter disappointment."
And.. why is this bad exactly? Why is it bad to take some time off and decompress if you have a horrible job you hate? What's the alternative? Work yourself to the bone, fall in love with someone you hate, have some kids that hate you, get a divorce, and die alone? What is Mr. Avent's point here? Because I don't see one.
Disclaimer: I played Counter-Strike competitively and professionally from around 17-22 (I'd say on average 5-6 hours a day). I still play every now and then, but don't compete at tournaments or in leagues. I'm 30 now. Not only was my experience irreplaceable and positive (I made many life-long friends and met many cool people), but it also helped me with many other aspects of "grown-up" life:
- I learned to be goal-oriented and focused
- I learned how to lead and work with a team to succeed at a common goal
- I learned how to weed out shitty people that poison the environment
- I learned what it truly takes and how hard it is to be the top 1% at anything (even at a stupid video game)
- I learned how to negotiate contracts and balance budgets
- glangdale 10y agoI kind of get what you're saying, but the phenomenon is new: this isn't the only source I've seen that discusses that there is a growing amount of un- or under-employment among young men that seems to be accepted comparatively happily, with the hypothesis that compelling computer games are part of the difference. I'm pretty sure that the analogy with movies is weak, although probably the 80s equivalent was sitting around watching TV all day (the moral panic I remember from that period). "Why is it bad to take some time off and decompress if you have a horrible job you hate? What's the alternative? Work yourself to the bone, fall in love with someone you hate, have some kids that hate you, get a divorce, and die alone? What is Mr. Avent's point here? Because I don't see one." I think that if you're that annoyed about the idea of this article using strawmen to beat up on the idea of gaming, you should have a little more awareness of the phenomenon in your own writing/thinking... Yep, I'm pretty sure that it's either decompress or "work yourself to the bone and fall in love with someone you hate".
- dvt 10y ago> I'm pretty sure that the analogy with movies is weak Maybe. My point was only: take an arbitrary decade and [insert cheapest form of entertainment here]. > I think that if you're that annoyed about the idea of this article using strawmen... I'm annoyed with the article using gaming as a red herring to get clicks. I'm being hyperbolic (or am I? divorce rates are pretty high[1]). [1] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/09/led-by-baby-boomers-divorce-rates-climb-for-americas-50-population/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/09/led-by-baby-...
- gdulli 10y ago> "For Emily, and for many others, games were not the luxury luring her away from career. They were a comfort blanket and distraction, providing some solace when the working world offered only bitter disappointment." > And.. why is this bad exactly? According to the article Emily left her first job voluntarily. Why is that not ideal? - Felt bad about herself while unemployed/underemployed - Opportunity cost of not building job skills/experience (for 2+ years) - Opportunity cost of not building normal adult skills and attitudes, like understanding that work isn't always fun, and adult life is about accepting a balance between fun and responsibility - The more tangible opportunity costs of not building savings, a salary history, or contributing to retirement savings, which due to compounding interest is significantly more effective the earlier it begins - The Fallout games really aren't open-ended enough to provide enough entertainment to take the place of a career > What's the alternative? Work yourself to the bone, fall in love with someone you hate, have some kids that hate you, get a divorce, and die alone? No idea how any of this follows from staying employed until a better job is available.
- dvt 10y ago> No idea how any of this follows from staying employed until a better job is available. If you're arguing that one should stick with a job they hate until something better comes along, I vehemently disagree. That's like saying "I understand your husband beats you, but don't leave him until you find someone else." Maybe you haven't had any, but some jobs are soul-suckingly terrible and toxic. You only get one life, at least try to enjoy it.
- kentrado 10y agoYou die at the end, didn't anyone tell you? Sorry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LUCOcilwjA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LUCOcilwjA
- chillacy 10y agoI dunno, CS is one thing but I have played and know people who still play MMOs (EVE, WoW, FF, etc) and those tend to be a different beast. It's not hard to see why: the same desires and rewards that drive you forward in life can be instead applied in-game for a mere $15 a month. Actually in many regards WoW is more fun than real life, and when your friends are all playing the game.. yea that becomes life. I know what you mean by taking those in-game skills to real life... my success in real life comes somewhat from just applying the concept of grinding to a different domain ;) As a thought experiment, what if we developed technology like the Matrix: full simulated reality you can plug into... you live in a simulated world that feels 100% real to you, except this simulated world is better than reality in various ways... I suspect it would be way more tempting than games are today, and certainly more tempting than movies to spent nearly all your time in the virtual world.