Impact of online games on teens

xkiralacusx · March 2008

Just wondering what are some of the major impacts of online gaming on teens these days? Is online gaming addiction getting worst for teens?

Czzarre · March 2008

I wager its about the same. One thing is that its not just MMORPGs that are addicting to a Teen (Or any age for that matter), its the online community, of which MMORPGs are just one aspect. If they didnt have MMORPGs, then they have Myspace, if not myspace, then YouTube, etc,etc

I wager, as most players are getting burnt out on WoW...Teens are spending more time in other interests, but I bet they are still ONLINE a lot,.

Torrential

WiccanCircle · March 2008

I have read a few studies about teens and young adults and their times spent in games. The gamers are actually a tiny fraction population and a small amount of the time spent on the internet. And more time is spent watching TV than on the net by a huge factor.

Two things have happened in conjunction. One - toys have become more sedentary and Two - parents have become crippled by fear.

Humans are humans. We have not changed our behavoir choices in thousands of years, (Although there is some eveidence that some critical reasoning faculties may have developed as resently as the last few hundred years, but I digress) Kids are going to do what is 'fun'. And parents are going to do what they think is bets for their children. When the nexus of those two combine in to keeping children from going outside, the most fun that can be had indoors is through TV and the Internet.

Parents are suffering from delusional "Stranger Danger" and kids have become lazy by being forced indoors. A few FMRI studies have shown higher serotonin release from playing computer game football than actually playing it on a field.

Fun is serotonin. Period.

Rajai · March 2008

I don't know any easy way to type this but I've been addicted before..

I used to play final fantasy 11 for ~16 hours a day- no exaggeration, like i didn't know how to limit myself

I'd wake up and go to school for 2 hours come home and pretty much play it until i fell asleep

I'd have alternating sleep cycles like I'd go to sleep hours later in the day than i did the night before

sometimes i'd wake up at midnight or 3 am or 6 pm or 9 pm

I dropped out as a junior in high school

(i went back later and got my GED since then)

i've given up my personal life before

but this only lasted about 6 months and i've played the game for 3 years

sometimes I'd give up sleep to find a group

sometimes my online friends were my only friends..

and caffeine

everquest was the same way

and World of Warcraft

I haven't found any other games worth being addicted to.

but sometimes I felt like maybe if I was out on the streets doing drugs instead of playing FFO

I'd be a little worse off..

but I'd still have friends..

and i realized when i met my ex- girlfriend that I wanted to do something with my life..

and i gave up playing MMOs for about a year.. and my life got nothing but better

I really can't explain this better- I have issues with my memory

all I can remember is i was messed up emotionally

completely antisocial, completely dependant

like i wasn't enjoying myself if i wasn't playing it

and part if this was my fault..

but you can't always blame teens for what they do

if they're out shoplifting or doing drugs and you hear about it.. and don't do anything to stop it it's not any different than if they give up their social life and glue themselves to a computer screen for 8+ hours a day and you let them....

it's not really any better

fyerwall · March 2008

Originally posted by WiccanCircle

I have read a few studies about teens and young adults and their times spent in games. The gamers are actually a tiny fraction population and a small amount of the time spent on the internet. And more time is spent watching TV than on the net by a huge factor.
Two things have happened in conjunction. One - toys have become more sedentary and Two - parents have become crippled by fear.
Humans are humans. We have not changed our behavoir choices in thousands of years, (Although there is some eveidence that some critical reasoning faculties may have developed as resently as the last few hundred years, but I digress) Kids are going to do what is 'fun'. And parents are going to do what they think is bets for their children. When the nexus of those two combine in to keeping children from going outside, the most fun that can be had indoors is through TV and the Internet.
Parents are suffering from delusional "Stranger Danger" and kids have become lazy by being forced indoors. A few FMRI studies have shown higher serotonin release from playing computer game football than actually playing it on a field.
Fun is serotonin. Period.

Agreed.

People fear the worst will happen to thier kids due to news outlets and over zealous parenting groups who make the world seem like anything outside will pretty much beatup your kids and give them cancer. They see constant news reports on kidnappings, murders etc and are afraid to let thier kids leave thier site. I can understand to a certain extent in say a major city, but even in rural areas it happens.

My daughter is going to be 3 this June. I took her to Chuck E Cheeses for her cousins birthday party. While there, I watched one lady with her (looked to be) 10 yearold. She followed the poor kid from machine to machine with antibiotic wipes, washing down each one before he could touch them. Same for each Skeeball the kid went to grab.

Take my daughter to the local park and I discovered the Parental Security and Saftey Patrol, a group of parents who monitor the playground like it was a prison camp. One little girl fell near me, so I helped her up (she was about 4, maybe 5) and I was almost pepper sprayed, and then questioned why I was there. Told them my kid wanted to go to the park, so I took her. I was then told about the whole 'list' I should have signed up for, and then had a disscussion about 'play dates'. I'm sorry, but I am not going to schedual a date and time for my kid to be able to play at a park that I have been going to for 29 years of my life.

But thats they way parents are.

But as for teens and online gaming, or gaming period, it's pretty much all they have other than TV. Many kids are not really allowed to do the things I did when I was thier age (about 15 years ago) because most parents live in and have instilled fear in the kids of the outside world. Arcades are where the drugs are, Malls have perverts, Movies Theaters get you STDs, etc.

Friends of mine who have teens use the internet and online gaming as a reward for doing things like keeping up grades and doing homework. But then again they also let thier kids have a life outside the house too, which is where they spend most of thier time.

Sure you might get that one lil kid now and then on vent yelling at his parents for 1 more hour of playtime and being a brat, but most teens do thier best to be outside, somewhere away from parents and maybe spend 1-3 hours online a night (which would be this generations version of being on the phone for hours on end, seeing as they can do that whenever they want now) playing games or IM'ing friends.

Teala · March 2008

Back in the day when I was a teen I was limited to how much I could watch TV. I was pretty much an adult when the Internet came to be...in college. I dabbled in online games back just before AOL and stuff, but again I just dabbled. Then came UO. I could play a couple of hour a night before my eyes would start hurting. Those old CRT's were murder on your eyes back then. Then I stopped playing them all together. Become addicted to worse things then MMORPG's - almost died a couple of times because of it. Then started playing MMORPG's again and it helped me kick a couple of bad habits. So in a sense MMO's kinda kept me off the streets for a bit and allowed me to reconcentrate on school and my job. I haven't stopped playing since then. I'd rather be a gamer then a cadaver any day. ^_^

fyerwall · March 2008

Originally posted by Rajai

I don't know any easy way to type this but I've been addicted before..

I used to play final fantasy 11 for ~16 hours a day- no exaggeration, like i didn't know how to limit myself

I'd wake up and go to school for 2 hours come home and pretty much play it until i fell asleep

I'd have alternating sleep cycles like I'd go to sleep hours later in the day than i did the night before

sometimes i'd wake up at midnight or 3 am or 6 pm or 9 pm

I dropped out as a junior in high school

(i went back later and got my GED since then)

i've given up my personal life before

but this only lasted about 6 months and i've played the game for 3 years

sometimes I'd give up sleep to find a group

sometimes my online friends were my only friends..

and caffeine

everquest was the same way

and World of Warcraft

I haven't found any other games worth being addicted to.

but sometimes I felt like maybe if I was out on the streets doing drugs instead of playing FFO

I'd be a little worse off..

but I'd still have friends..

and i realized when i met my ex- girlfriend that I wanted to do something with my life..

and i gave up playing MMOs for about a year.. and my life got nothing but better

I really can't explain this better- I have issues with my memory

all I can remember is i was messed up emotionally

completely antisocial, completely dependant

like i wasn't enjoying myself if i wasn't playing it

and part if this was my fault..

but you can't always blame teens for what they do

if they're out shoplifting or doing drugs and you hear about it.. and don't do anything to stop it it's not any different than if they give up their social life and glue themselves to a computer screen for 8+ hours a day and you let them....

it's not really any better

Ugh,

That sucks, and I totally see where your coming from.

Had that happen to a friend of mine back in the days of EQ. Went from being a total outdoor sports freak to a darkend room reclusive EQ'er. He gained about 60lbs and wouldn;t even bother answering the phone. His parents wouldn't even try to lure him out of his dungeon, they just let him be. This lasted about 5 months.

We got tired of him being locked in his room playing EQ when we were supposed to be writing/drawing a comic series. So four of us went to his house, entered his room and removed the PC. It was sort of an intervention. We made him agree to hang out with us for a month before we returned the PC, which after screaming and fighting was done, he accepted the terms. When that month was up, he got the PC back, logged into EQ and played for about 3 hours.

Then he called one of our friends and asked if we wanted to do anything because he was bored and wanted to play pool.

To this day he still plays MMOs and games, but more casually. He even enrolled in college for his Comp Sci degree.

So yeah, If your a parent and just letting your kids vegitate all day infront of games/internet/tv without stopping them, don't blame the companies/movies/shows. Get involved and do something with them.

griff66 · March 2008

I am 16 and I put a lot of time into WoW. I don't think it is a big problem unless it is the absolute only thing you do. I think if you do other things and try to keep somewhat active that it's ok to play a lot. I pretty much just sit around with my buddies and play, but I also try to go to the gym as much as possible. Once I get a car, it will cut down my WoW time too. For now I am pretty limited and WoW is the only fun thing to do.

Death1942 · March 2008

closest i came to a real problem was WoW back in 2006 but my parents (who arent crippled by fear) fixed that problem. i found after the few talks with my parents about the game i felt my mind slowly build a defence against a problem like that resurfacing. nowdays i only play for 1 or 2 hours a day and maybe 4 on the weekends. its also split up into about 6 games (LOTRO, Mall tycoon (dont ask),baldurs gate , Oblivion, Medieval Total War 2 and guitar hero (on the PS2)).

kids need a good slap in the face and their parents need to take charge

Rajai · March 2008

He was lucky to have you, you sound like some pretty awesome friends

I had a little bit of a different effect, i actually stopped eating for 2 or 3 days in a row.. at a time

and my parents totally did nothing, they didn't monitor me or come down to check on me

I felt like i was spiraling downwards and i don't know where downwards was

I guess I'm a bit of an extreme case

I never went so far as to pee in a 2 liter or order pizza from that /pizza service

and you heard about stuff like that when everquest came out- people were addicted like that

nowadays games do nothing to .. help you..

none of these games are really compelling, i can't for the life of me see why anyone would want to spend their life playing lineage 2- all there is to do in that game is grind..

they have a little message that says maybe you should take a break

Maybe you should make your game a thousand hours longer

fyerwall · March 2008

Originally posted by griff66

I am 16 and I put a lot of time into WoW. I don't think it is a big problem unless it is the absolute only thing you do. I think if you do other things and try to keep somewhat active that it's ok to play a lot. I pretty much just sit around with my buddies and play, but I also try to go to the gym as much as possible. Once I get a car, it will cut down my WoW time too. For now I am pretty limited and WoW is the only fun thing to do.

Actually with gas prices going the way they are, you'll get a car and play WoW more because it will be cheaper

But you are right, it just takes a little moderation. Games are fun while they are games. Once they become your job, theres a problem (unless your being paid for it, then its just a bonus! - and I don't mean selling ingame crap either )

tanklugz · March 2008

as long as i have the gym at my college, subway, my girlfriend and xbox, my life is good... i couldnt imagine playing like a job though..crazy and sad.

Tron420 · March 2008

I have a saying, "once a gamer, always a gamer."

I have seen lots of people who go through this cycle of gaming hardcore 5-10 hours a day, then one day try to go cold turkey, realizing what it is doing to them. Then after a week or two, they relapse and play just as hard. I am personally guilty of this pattern. From my experience in gaming that dates back to '96, I have come to the conclusion that the goal with gaming habits is to try and find that happy medium.

* Gaming is better than watching TV. More interactive, etc.

* Gaming increases critical thinking abilities.

* Gaming is addictive, and designed to be that way. Gaming too much produces results in a person that is just like drug addiction. I have seen friends waste away their entire lives (so far) on MMOs and been so blind that he/she refuses to admit the truth.

* Games / MMOs are here to stay and are extremely fun. Just like alcohol, game responsibly!

fyerwall · March 2008

Originally posted by Rajai

He was lucky to have you, you sound like some pretty awesome friends

I had a little bit of a different effect, i actually stopped eating for 2 or 3 days in a row.. at a time

and my parents totally did nothing, they didn't monitor me or come down to check on me

I felt like i was spiraling downwards and i don't know where downwards was

I guess I'm a bit of an extreme case

I never went so far as to pee in a 2 liter or order pizza from that /pizza service

and you heard about stuff like that when everquest came out- people were addicted like that

nowadays games do nothing to .. help you..

none of these games are really compelling, i can't for the life of me see why anyone would want to spend their life playing lineage 2- all there is to do in that game is grind..

they have a little message that says maybe you should take a break

Maybe you should make your game a thousand hours longer

We had a friend die in a car accident the year prior, and didn't want to lose another. We never stopped him, let alone talk to him about his drinking problem, which was what really motivated us this time.

Teala · March 2008

The true answer is moderation. Just don't go overboard and make it everything in your life. Life requires balance. You have to take everything in moderation. Rmember to much of anything...even the good stuff is bad for you. ^_^

fyerwall · March 2008

Originally posted by Teala

The true answer is moderation. Just don't go overboard and make it everything in your life. Life requires balance. You have to take everything in moderation. Rmember to much of anything...even the good stuff is bad for you. ^_^

QFT

Unless we are talking about Reese Cups...

Rajai · March 2008

when you quit and start doing something else it feels so good

it's just great to have people in your life that care about you..

I can't stand asian grindfests.. they force you to take time out of your day to be good at anything..

and by time i mean 6 hours at least 6 hours...

i can go 6 hours in the blink of an eye, i can go 12 its not a problem..

i can go 6 hours fishing in FFXI and it's over before i know it

and you realize you spent 9,000 hours of your life on a video game

and it's depressing

wikie · March 2008

not really an addiction.. maybe they just want to feel being one of the characters in the MMORPG community

Ceredwynn · March 2008

Originally posted by wikie

not really an addiction.. maybe they just want to feel being one of the characters in the MMORPG community

Ultimately correct. there was a disccussion about this not so much on teens, but people in general though they did focus it on adults more. Anyways Wikie said (and this is funny cause i just came from a Topic that i was disagreeing with her) "It's all about the community" and thats absolutely correct, the social networking is crucial in gaming now. My friend has gotten a job as a realtor just from playing a game of warcraft. It's become so important that online gaming has a social aspect. that's why games like Diablo are are becoming extinct. Diablo is seriously the last of it's kind other than Dungeon Siege.

remember the uprising of Instant Chat and how important that became in modern society and pop culture. it is however important to have a huge emersive universe and storyline to get people interested and have a great gaming experience, but people especially teens would obviously get bored of that over time. to solve that problem developers have worked on the social networking of the community. online games would die off if there isnt a community for it right, so it evolved into teens spending 50% of there time maybe even less of their time playing. I remember in the Barren Chat for WorldOfWarcraft how important that there is some sort of conversations happening wither it was about Chuck Noris or otherwise lol I always see people freaking out if the Barren Chat is silent for 10-15mins. You know thats when you ask yourselve, what importance is it to the game is people are conversing or not and ultimately thats what people want.

nethervoid · March 2008

My son is a second gen MMO player (I'm 32 and he's 10). We have a chip system we use with chores and homework. He gets chips (poker chips) for doing chores and homework, which he spends on games and TV. But the real fun comes when we GIVE him chips for playing outside and playing with friends. Since he pretty much likes these two things anyway, he's overjoyed to get 'credit' for doing things he likes to do anyway.

Now if we gave him the option all the time between games or outside with friends, he'll pick the games. It's just addicting like that, as has been said, and he doesn't yet understand the negative effects of spending all your time in an MMO.

So we use this system of earn and spend to spread his time around doing all the things a 10 year old can do. It works really well. He never has enough chips to play games for more than a couple of hours, but then he just goes and plays with friends or outside. If he plays with friends outside, he gets chips for both. STACKING BUFFS! lol

Now if I could get myself to be more social IRL that would be gravy. lol

snuif09 · March 2008

wel im 14 and its going good on school and if snw didnt exist i think i would have been the most stressed kid in the universe and im not becoming violent to others cause i want to spend my time into gaming

Greatness · March 2008

I am considered a teen and I never been fully addicted as to where I don't leave the house. I play MMOs during the time I don't have anything else to do. I always wondered how people got addicted but I guess you have to experience it to understand.

ferndip · March 2008

"have you ever tried turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids & beat them?" Bender

mike470 · March 2008

The only way that games can really mess up teens (and probably anyone else) is if they become addicted. And this addiction isnt 5hrs a day, but 15-20hrs a day. This is when the games can really cause damage to a teen.

I myself am 14, and from games I have become addicted, but not as addicted as some posters above. Sometimes I wouldn't go out, instead just stay inside and play games. This is when I realized that I needed to change. I decided to quit the game all together, hang out with some friends, and get some social life back. This is probably the best decision I have made, for now I can keep my friends, while also playing games. It is important to have balance, and without balance things can get out of control. Too much gaming, and you forget about a social life all together, and it is always important to have good social skils.

Don't get me wrong, when I played the game. I had so much fun. I made a lot of friends, enjoyed myself, and was on constantly. But I knew I had to quit, for it was just destoying my life. But I would much rather be hanging out with friends IRL, then going off killiing some monster in a dungeon with some friends in game. Quitting was tough, but if I didn't, I probably wouldn't have the friends I have today. Although I have friends with these people in game, it was just a game, and when I look back on my chldhood, I don't want to remember sitting in from of my computer as much as possible. Although I loved playing this game and made great friends, when it is time to stop, it is time to stop.

Edit- Forgot to add this.....

Although MMOs did play a part of my life, I also learned many things from them. I find my self able to write more complete, and sound more mature instead of some gamer who just go " I Pwndssds jo0o0o".

I just couldn't sleep at night, knowing that the maIn focus of my days was playing games...So I decideed it was time to change.

I had to quit MMOs to gain my social life back. the key word is BALANCE

Well, I'm gonna go eat some chinese food. cya

WiccanCircle · March 2008

Originally posted by fyerwall

Originally posted by Rajai

{SNIP}
but you can't always blame teens for what they do

if they're out shoplifting or doing drugs and you hear about it.. and don't do anything to stop it it's not any different than if they give up their social life and glue themselves to a computer screen for 8+ hours a day and you let them....

it's not really any better

{SNIP}

We got tired of him being locked in his room playing EQ

{SNIP}

So yeah, If your a parent and just letting your kids vegitate all day infront of games/internet/tv without stopping them, don't blame the companies/movies/shows. Get involved and do something with them.

Rajai and Fyerwall point out the most important part - people have to limit everything in their lives.

First, I don't think children should be playing MMORPGs, perhaps at all. There are so many things that a child should be learning and doing when they are young, sitting on their ass playing an MMO isn't one of them. Kid have SO much time available, they will never have as much free time again for the rest of their lives. They should be learning at least one musical instrument. They should have at least one non-school activity like martial arts or girlscouts. Better to have both. They should be involved in at least one after school club and letter in at least one sport. Those things will never be available again. They MUST be done now because they will help make you the person that will lead the hoards of sheeple later as an adult.

Above all of those flavoring activities, children's lives are their grades. College is not an option. Top tier colleges are not an option if you want to kickstart your career. SATs and GPA are your life.

IF and ONLY IF you have some time after completing the above, then you should be playing with friends in the real world... the one good thing about consoles over PC games.

As for how people get 'addicted' (You can not be addicted to a game, it is a compulsion not an addiction) I don't understand why anyone would feed, cloth and house someone that was wasting away playing with toys all day. Computer games are toys, you would never allow the person to play with Barbi dolls all day rather than go to school or work. So Stop feeding them! There is not a single person anywhere that could continue to play a game if other people stopped paying their bills, feeding them and housing them.

If the compulsive person is a child in your home, then the computer is dropped in the pool until the kid is in National Honor Society etc. Parents are in control. If your kid is a loser in front of the MMORPG, it is because you are a loser parent. Period.

If the compulsive person is an adult, then throw them out the door. Pain is a powerful motivator. Nobody can play computer games living on the street. Hunger eventually drive these losers to seek a job. That job will be used to buy a roof, clothing and food. Poof - playing with toys all day goes bye-bye.

Somewhere our society lost the concept of Effort = Reward. Nobody owes anyone anything so stop sucking off of people who do more and that means earn more than you do. Enablers are pathetic.

Don't enable your child to be a leech on society and don't be one yourself.

fyerwall · March 2008

Originally posted by WiccanCircle

Originally posted by fyerwall

Originally posted by Rajai

{SNIP}
but you can't always blame teens for what they do

if they're out shoplifting or doing drugs and you hear about it.. and don't do anything to stop it it's not any different than if they give up their social life and glue themselves to a computer screen for 8+ hours a day and you let them....

it's not really any better