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And then the cycle of stigmatization begins again… Almost as if there is a purpose to it. Is stigmatization always an objectively bad thing? I suppose it depen

And then the cycle of stigmatization begins again… Almost as if there is a purpose to it. Is stigmatization always an objectively bad thing? I suppose it depends on your frame of reference. I don’t think any person should be stigmatized for what they do, but certain activities may well deserve it. I suppose that’s also a recurrent theme in the New Testament. One thing I think ought to be stigmatized more is video game usage. I know many people (mostly men) my age (late adolescence) whose lives have been/were destroyed by chronic video game addiction. Similar with porn and “sex-work adjacent” things (on the consumer side).

Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago
I was 'cured' from videogames by meaningful interesting job. Once they kicks in, games become much less attractive. I still play some titles sometimes that feed my SciFi or History interests, like MassEffect or Ck2/TotalWar, but I don't enjoy them like I used to.
- wussboy 5y ago
  I experienced something similar, but never realized anyone else might as well. Thanks for writing this.
belorn 5y ago
Every thing that is used by the lower class to escape reality get stigmatized, and the more effective it is the more problematic society view it. The decline in alcohol addictions is often attributed to gaming, particularly among men. I also personally prefer people who are addicted to games over those addicted to alcohol, and long term it is much safer for everyone involved.
- Dah00n 5y ago
  I have never heard about such a link. I gotta go dig around. Thank you for the hint.
- watwut 5y ago
  > The decline in alcohol addictions is often attributed to gaming, particularly among men. I have never seen this. Like, this is literally first time I see this attribution being made.
  - belorn 5y ago
    Interesting, I have seen the link being discussed several times on national news, in particular to the decrease in teenage drinking. Some people also link this with lower amount of sex. There is also studies showing that heavy investment in gaming reduces the risk of excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related harm. While I have not seen a study on it, I would expect to see a correlation between the need to escape reality and the use of tools that allow escaping. With this follow also a link with social status and class. It is why alcohol use traditionally was associated with the lower classes, and laws directed at consumption of alcohol was basically laws direct at the lower classes.
- sebmellen 5y ago
  Color me skeptical. > [0] "Descriptive data showed no general decline in binge drinking across European countries. In contrast to our prediction, the association between binge drinking and computer gaming was not negative [b = 0.26, one-sided 95% confidence interval (−∞, 0.47), P = 0.98, Bayes Factor = 0.21]. We found the same pattern of result in a secondary analysis on six Nordic countries that have experienced declines in adolescent drinking recent years. In analyses with covariates reflecting engagement in other activities, we only observed statistical evidence for an effect of going out." [0]: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.13226?af=R https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.13226?af=R
  - belorn 5y ago
    Interesting. Maybe further studies are needed. > [1] "Low-level gaming was positively associated with patterns of problematic alcohol use in the crude analyses; these associations became non-significant when controlling for demographic variables. High-level gaming was inversely associated with patterns of problematic alcohol use when controlling for demographics, personality, and mental health covariates." [1]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853218301883 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235285321...
hoseja 5y ago
All these are just symptoms, people coping with the current hell-world.
paulryanrogers 5y ago
> One thing I think ought to be stigmatized more is video game usage. I know many people (mostly men) my age (late adolescence) whose lives have been/were destroyed by chronic video game addiction. Why stigmatize something instead of the addiction itself? I knew someone who poured themselves into music production and fantasy to the detriment of everything else. Would you stigmatize music? Perhaps if something is almost always destructive then some social or legal regulation is warranted. I don't see that with gaming, despite the damage caused by outliers.
- sebmellen 5y ago
  Yes, fair point re: video games, I agree. That said, perhaps there are some activities which are not addictions which are still destructive and should be stigmatized mainly to protect the person performing the activity (such becoming an "OnlyFans creator").

Andrew_nenakhov 5y ago

I was 'cured' from videogames by meaningful interesting job. Once they kicks in, games become much less attractive. I still play some titles sometimes that feed my SciFi or History interests, like MassEffect or Ck2/TotalWar, but I don't enjoy them like I used to.

wussboy 5y ago
I experienced something similar, but never realized anyone else might as well. Thanks for writing this.

belorn 5y ago

Every thing that is used by the lower class to escape reality get stigmatized, and the more effective it is the more problematic society view it. The decline in alcohol addictions is often attributed to gaming, particularly among men. I also personally prefer people who are addicted to games over those addicted to alcohol, and long term it is much safer for everyone involved.

Dah00n 5y ago
I have never heard about such a link. I gotta go dig around. Thank you for the hint.
watwut 5y ago
> The decline in alcohol addictions is often attributed to gaming, particularly among men. I have never seen this. Like, this is literally first time I see this attribution being made.
- belorn 5y ago
  Interesting, I have seen the link being discussed several times on national news, in particular to the decrease in teenage drinking. Some people also link this with lower amount of sex. There is also studies showing that heavy investment in gaming reduces the risk of excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related harm. While I have not seen a study on it, I would expect to see a correlation between the need to escape reality and the use of tools that allow escaping. With this follow also a link with social status and class. It is why alcohol use traditionally was associated with the lower classes, and laws directed at consumption of alcohol was basically laws direct at the lower classes.
sebmellen 5y ago
Color me skeptical. > [0] "Descriptive data showed no general decline in binge drinking across European countries. In contrast to our prediction, the association between binge drinking and computer gaming was not negative [b = 0.26, one-sided 95% confidence interval (−∞, 0.47), P = 0.98, Bayes Factor = 0.21]. We found the same pattern of result in a secondary analysis on six Nordic countries that have experienced declines in adolescent drinking recent years. In analyses with covariates reflecting engagement in other activities, we only observed statistical evidence for an effect of going out." [0]: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.13226?af=R https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.13226?af=R
- belorn 5y ago
  Interesting. Maybe further studies are needed. > [1] "Low-level gaming was positively associated with patterns of problematic alcohol use in the crude analyses; these associations became non-significant when controlling for demographic variables. High-level gaming was inversely associated with patterns of problematic alcohol use when controlling for demographics, personality, and mental health covariates." [1]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853218301883 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235285321...

hoseja 5y ago

All these are just symptoms, people coping with the current hell-world.

paulryanrogers 5y ago

> One thing I think ought to be stigmatized more is video game usage. I know many people (mostly men) my age (late adolescence) whose lives have been/were destroyed by chronic video game addiction. Why stigmatize something instead of the addiction itself? I knew someone who poured themselves into music production and fantasy to the detriment of everything else. Would you stigmatize music? Perhaps if something is almost always destructive then some social or legal regulation is warranted. I don't see that with gaming, despite the damage caused by outliers.

sebmellen 5y ago
Yes, fair point re: video games, I agree. That said, perhaps there are some activities which are not addictions which are still destructive and should be stigmatized mainly to protect the person performing the activity (such becoming an "OnlyFans creator").