Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

This Just In - Gamers Are Human

Posted by Zonk on from the we've-been-trying-to-tell-you-this dept.

A new study by the Entertainment Software Association reveals that, amazingly, gamers are regular human beings. The study shows that avid game players are just as religious, artistic, and social as anyone else. From the article: "Gamers are everywhere and they're everyone. They are your friends, neighbors, co-workers, relatives, and kids, they lead responsible and caring lives, balancing their enjoyment of interactive entertainment with many other activities important to a well-rounded lifestyle...Indeed, those who continue to portray the game population as single-minded loafers are living in their own fantasy world."

4 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Straw man down! by Otter · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Y'know, it's possible to argue that certain games are inappropriate for young children or that 130 hours a week of EQ is unhealthy and still recognize that gamers aren't a uniform mass of dysfunctional, homicidal teenagers.

    We get a story like this ("Many Gamers Not Psychopaths!" or "Games Good For A Small Part Of Your Brain!") twice a week, always with this triumphant spin as though something significant has been rebutted.

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  2. Re:What the Fuck??? by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Quit yer bitchin'.

    As a gainfully employed 35-year-old techie (not so much a gamer, but that's largely due to lack of time) who exercises and bathes regularly, owns his own home, and has a sex life, I get really goddamn tired of all the geek stereotyping (fat smelly unepmployed virgins living in their parents' basements, etc.) It's especially annoying here on /. -- don't we get enough of that from the rest of the world? -- but wherever it comes up, it's useful to have this kind of information to counter it.

    --
    The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  3. Re:But I'm evil, or so I thought... by acidrain69 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, that was a pretty reasonable review. They didn't massacre it for it's violence, they just said it wasn't very good for christians.

    I like the quote at the end, " it makes no allowances for the Christian gamer. " Like they expected Rock Star games to have you witness at the end and find Jesus. Lol.

    But seriously, they didn't berate the game, they didn't complain that it was killing society, and why won't someone think of the children? An altogether responsible review. No, I don't agree with their outlook, but I don't see anything wrong with it. As long as they aren't trying to keep ME from playing it.

    --
    -- Having a Creationist Museum is like having an Atheist place of worship
  4. Re:Also... by acidrain69 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Knowing that Games in general are not a subset of the population means that we are a demographic which can be a good thing as companies start thinking of us a targe audience.

    What?!? Run that by me again. How does not ebing a subset of the population make one into a demographic? It's that what a demographic IS? A category to put someone in? Hence, a SUBSET?

    --
    -- Having a Creationist Museum is like having an Atheist place of worship