GAMER  VILLE 

Breaking Down the Assumptions

 

It is assumed that videogames are only meant for young boys.

 

It is assumed they are bad for health.

 

It is assumed they affect behaviour in only negative ways.  

 

What do these three things have in common? Whilst videogames is the correct answer, the more important fact is that they are all assumptions and nothing more. Ever since the introduction of videogames into everyday life, they have been scrutinized in almost every aspect from who should be playing them to what effects they have on those who do play them. Gamers everywhere have heard the countless reasons why they shouldn’t indulge in the pastime – they’re a waste of time, they’re silly games that are only meant for kids and they turn your brain to mush. Not only is none of this proven, there’s actual evidence that shows videogames can often have a positive effect on health and behaviour on a range of people – both young and old and of either sex.

 

In the journal article ‘The Benefits of Playing Video Games’, Isabela Granic, Adam Lobel, and Rutger C. M. E. Engels take an in-depth look at varying aspects of videogames and what effects they have – both positive and negative – on those who play them.

 

In this article, I will focus on the three main areas relating to videogames that are most commonly viewed as negative and stereotyped and I will attempt to break down these assumptions and present the facts for what they are.

 

Gender and Age

 

One of the most common misconceptions related to gaming is that of who plays them, and whilst most non-gamers assume only young boys play videogames this in fact couldn’t be further from the truth. The average gamer, according to the Video_Game_Voters Network, is 31 years old and has been playing videogames for 14 years. Even more surprising is that 48% of these gamers are women, making the ratio of male to female gamers 52% to 48% respectively, which is almost equal and highlights that the videogame industry no longer has a significant gender gap despite what most non-gamers may think.  Female gamers over the age of 18 actually represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population, at a substantial 36%, than boys aged 18 or younger who only account for 17%. Gender and age in relation to videogames often sparks quite heated debates, especially with the introduction of more R18+ rated games. Grand Theft Auto V was recently taken from the shelves of Target, K-Mart and Big W because of an ill-informed petition that claimed it was a violent, R18+ game that was intentionally aimed at children and involved such things as sexual violence, violence against women and no consequences for committing these crimes. Whilst the term ‘game’ makes most people think of children playing innocent games such as Mario Kart and Tetris, the fact is that the videogame industry has no age bracket. It is indisputably certain however, that any R18+ game is

only ever meant for people 18 years or older.