Japanese Government Researches Game Effects

Thanks to GamePro for their article discussing the Japanese Government's announcement that they plan to conduct a 10-year research study on the effects of video games upon children. According to the article, "The study will record their basic lifestyle patterns, including how much TV they watch and how many games they play, and the ministry will gauge their mental health and emotional personality through neural scans and questionnaires sent to their parents." Games in Japan are being implicated in "reduced brain-wave activity" and as a possible trigger in a Nagasaki kidnap/murder, so careful analysis is planned to see if game players really end up "...shunning social activity and losing one's temper easily."

Comments

serious doubts

[miruku]

there are serious flaws in experiments like this, mainly the fact that its not done in a controled envoronment (not that any tests like this would be done in a controled envoronment, because its not really that good for kids to lock them away for ten years). the fact that all of the kids would still have access to everyday culture and society would very much skew the results

"shunning social activity and losing one's temper easily"

if that happens, maybe thats a sign that the kids are fed up with the consumerist society they live in (esp. in a contry like japan), and are making use of the only good release they have access to; gaming?

Don't argue, change the trend

[Rares Marian]

Already the game-violence hysteria has died in areas which were first to take up the issue.

This too shall pass. As long as we don't make idiots of ourselves which would add credibility to the idea.

And if you want to argue here's a few routes you can try:

1. Television is much worse than video games.
2. Brain-activity is non-existent while watching TV.
3. Brain-activity is a measure of the quality of the game not the content. If that is confusing, think Video BINGO vs a flash card game.
4. Video games are as good for the thinking process as outside sports are good for the physical health.
5. Video games can put people in dramatic situations that are as important as reading a quality novel. Harlan Ellison's video game adaptation of "I have no mouth but I must speak" comes to mind. Black and White as well.
6. Video games are just one form of multimedia. There's a CD called Starry Night which makes some bold statements about Van Gogh (he was so scared about his ear-cutting episode, HE put HIMSELF in the hospital. A little more rational than most would believe, no?) Video games can enhance this, especially in the puzzle/research genres.
7. Video games can expose biases and be a forum for discussion probably even better than that CD was. Instead of some voice telling you how to think you can observe what biases do in an RPG.

I'm sure we can come up w/ more.