Video games make boys stupid

Video games make boys stupid

PS3 prevents reading and writing

A STUDY suggests owning a game console could make young boys stupid.

Give a boy a PlayStation II and it is statistically more likely to make him slower at reading and writing. He will also have more learning problems.

The study is based on talking to teachers and is the first controlled trial to look at the effects of playing video games on learning in young boys.

Robert Weis, a shrink at Denison University in Ohio ,said that did not mean parents should toss their consoles into the rubbish bin.

He just indicated that parents should make sure their precious snowflakes don't spend all their time on the things.

Weis's study involved 64 boys aged six to nine who didn't currently own a video game system, but whose parents were thinking of buying one. The boys did not have previous learning or behavioral problems. The parents were given a video game system for participating.

The boffins decided not to test girls, because they wanted to look at the effects of playing video games, and they were worried that girls might not play as much as boys.

Half of the children were randomly chosen to receive the Playstation right away, and half got it at the end of the four-month study.

Those with Playstations also spent less time engaged in educational activities after school and showed less advancement in their reading and writing skills over time than the control group.

None of them showed significant behavioral problems, but their teachers reported delays in learning academic skills, including writing and spelling.

The boffins think that the decrease was because the kids had better things to do, from their points of view, rather than study.

According to LiveScience,if you have a limited amount of time and you play games instead of studying then your grades will suffer.

The results were published the journal Psychological Science, which we think should have a "Really Sherlock that is is Surprising" section for it. µ

Thu 18 Mar 2010, 10:59

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Comments

I think you guys forget

Back in the day of space quest and earlier you had to type.... there was no mouse. There was no mega graphics, we had to use our imagination and learn how to type and type correctly... with today's auto correct before you send speel cheackers there is no longer a need for learning to write correctly or use imagination it is all done for you.

Also all those games you speak of are computer games not console games.

posted by : db, 24 March 2010 Complain about this comment

Agreed

Agreed. Games don't make kids stupid, thats the job of genetics. My first gaming experience was on the TI-99 home computer, followed shortly after by the Apple2c. I have been a gamer ever since. I have spent a majority of my life in front of the soft glow of a tv screen, saving virtual worlds. Today I work in television animation/graphics production (kinda fitting I guess). Didn't make me "stupid", but I have to admit, we didn't have Grand Theft Auto back then either. "Oregon Trail" anybody?

posted by : Klatu, 20 March 2010 Complain about this comment

I agree with zewkin

Many of the computer games I played as a younger child involved puzzles promoting logical thinking and analytical skills. I feel that these have increased my problem solving skills in general and probably have improved my aptitude for programming today.

posted by : Adam Milne-Smith, 19 March 2010 Complain about this comment

It depends on the games

Video games helped me learn to type, read and comprehend at an early age. When I took my first typing test in middle school, I could type 50wpm with 99% accuracy. This is because I played games like King's Quest and The Black Cauldron that required extensive typing. The games also required a lot of reading and comprehension.

I think in order for this study to be accurate, it should include both boys and girls (yes, some girls play more video games than boys - this stereotype is quickly losing ground). It should also include a study of the types of games being played. It just feels that with using only boys, using such a small group and not including the types of games being played that this study was setup just so they could say, "See, video games make our children stupid and violent."

posted by : zewkin, 18 March 2010 Complain about this comment