One of the more surprising facts that I learned was exactly how many teens play video games.
"Fully 97% of teens ages 12-17 play computer, web, portable, or console games" (2).
Also, the study showed a correlation to teens who play video games and their level of civic interest. Basically, the more engaged they are into the social aspects of gaming, the more they are involved. Additionally, the quantity of gameplay did not have an impact on the results.
I think that this is an interesting study because it shows possible benefits to playing video games, which is traditionally frowned upon by the general parental population, at least in my personal experience.
Citation:
Lenhart, Amanda, Joseph Kahne, Ellen Middaugh, Alexandra Macgill, Chris Evens and Jessica Vitak. "Teens, Video Games and Civics." Pew Internet and American Life Project 16 Sep 2008 19 Sep 2008
9 comments:
After reading your post, I find that this fact is pretty interesting also because games are always disliked by parents. However, most of them don't play the games themselves so they don't know what we can learn from the game itself. Playing games, especially the ones that require contact with others around the world teaches gamers how to meet and greet new people. It also helps to see the wide variety of similarities and differences that appear in the world. For example, a gamer is able to learn about someone from another country by playing a game with him because they will see how they talk, their values, and morals too and find what interests they have in common with the player.
I am a fan of video games myself, but I also am wondering what negative aspects all this video game playing can have. I know that there are good points to it, but one of my major concerns about it is that you're socializing with people over a game you're losing social skills for when you're not on an electronic device. This study makes me wonder, if all the kids who are playing video games are more interested in civics, does that mean that they're actually making a difference in the world? Because when I think about this I think that it's just a bunch of teens in front of a game console complaining about the world but still sitting on their butts and not doing anything. They're having interest but what's the point if they're not doing anything.
I think I might have confused you a bit, Carolyn. Civic interest, at least in this case, isn't limited to like reading the news. This is people who urge others to vote and get interested in their community and who protest for their causes. Sorry if that was unclear, I can see how you might be misled.
I think the statistics of how many teenagers play from ages 12-17 is amazing. I also find video games frowned upon by parents. I notice that violent video games are commonly frowned upon also. Parents think that by playing video games that the teenager makes them less social. I disagree because many of the games are games one can play online, thus interacting with other people.
I find this really interesting, but I don't see how the correlation works. How does playing social video games make you more interested and involved in civics?
Also, when and where do these surveys happen? Because I most definitely was not interviewed, thank you very much, and I happen to be part of the 3% that doesn't play video games.
I agree, it's an interesting study. Even though I don't play them myself, it's nice to know that there are more than negative effects of playing video games, since people look down on it so much.
Wow! I could not believe that 97% of the population's teens were playing some sort of video game. I also agree with the fact that parents do not usually consider playing video games a good use of time. This article reminds me of a persuasive essay I wrote (was forced to write) a couple year about the benefits of violence in the media. (I didn't choose the topic!). One of the main ideas in my essay was that violence in the media, and in particular video games, can increase their level of civil interest and can help kids see consequences to their actions.
Looking at what you said, I'm not surprised. I think it's just that people with civic interest just carry it with them into their gaming world. Some people don't care, so if they are playing a game they're not going to feel motivated to act on social forums or issues. I just don't think that the amount of time playing corresponds to it, or that it is a learning tool in that sense. Yes, you can teach people different things from games, but you can't change them fundamental with them. At least that's my take on the matter.
Amusing-- but you can see where the parent view comes from. Key words, paraphrased: "The amount of gaming time doesn't matter". Un huh. *smirks* That means if you're super-involved for one second, you have civic interest. And then you've got the time you would have spent playing video games to persue civil interest interests! I find it really fascinating how vague this post was-- perfect for commentators, as we can pick and choose the pieces you give us to create any kind of opinion we wish!
I like this post because I am an avid gamer myself. It is surprising whenever studies come out saying that video games are good. I remember a study saying that people who played video games had a better sense of the space around them, so they can drive better other stuff like that. I think its good evidence to convince our parents to let us play videogames.
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