Are Porn and Video Games Ruining a Generation?

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Are Porn and Video Games Ruining a Generation?

Posted by Soulskill on Friday May 25, 2012 @07:50AM from the won't-somebody-think-of-the-manchildren dept.

silentbrad writes "An editorial published at CNN is titled 'The Demise of Guys: How Videogames and Porn are Ruining a Generation.' It makes the sensationalized case that not only do game addiction and porn addiction share similar characteristics, but they're also both damaging to young men, destroying their ability to connect with women, and therefore threatening the future of our entire species. A response by IGN dissects the idea that pornography and videogames are pretty much the same thing. 'The article, by psychologist Philip G. Zimbardo and Nikita Duncan argues that young men are "hooked on arousal, sacrificing their schoolwork and relationships in the pursuit of getting a tech-based buzz."' Zimbardo, has danced this jig before. At the Long Beach TED conference last year he told a delighted audience that "guys are wiping out socially with girls and sexually with women." He added that young men have been so zombiefied by games and porn that they are unable to function in basic human interactions. "It's a social awkwardness like a stranger in a foreign land", he said. "They don't know what to say. They don't know what to do."'"

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Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by crazyjj · 2012-05-25 07:50 · Score: 5, Funny

Why is it that every psychologist I've ever met was much crazier than their patients?

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1. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by Jeng · 2012-05-25 08:01 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Why is it that every psychologist I've ever met was much crazier than their patients?
  
  Well, whats wrong with a crazy psych? At least they are experienced.
  It's those real sane ones that suck, they don't know how to relate to their patients.
  
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2. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by oneiros27 · 2012-05-25 08:14 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  My former boss's wife was working on her psych major -- she explained everyone in her class was basically trying to figure out what was wrong with them.
  And that's not to say that Heather didn't have quirks, either -- she had an obsession for buying stuff at auctions ... especially jewlery and shiny things ... but she never wore jewelry ... and then she found eBay, and it was all downhill from there. (this was the late 1990s)
  
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  Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
3. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by jason.sweet · 2012-05-25 08:45 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  In my experience, there is a high correlation between "girlfriend" and "psycho".
  I'm not sure if that's the porn or the video games talking.
4. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by The+Mister+Purple · 2012-05-25 09:25 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Worst. Generalization. Ever.
  Sorry, had to do it.
  
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  "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." Feynman
5. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-25 09:39 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I should cut your head off and rape your neckhole!
  You're lucky I'm too busy convincing 200 of my FB friends to play this dancing lawn gnome game so I can get the ruby-studded gnome hat.
6. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by chartreuse · 2012-05-25 09:50 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  When I was a kid, I thought growing up was about taking on responsibilities and getting work done. So wrong! It doesn't matter if you're the President or you're a drunk, what makes you an adult is how you entertain yourself. If you do anything with your leisure time more fun than reading War and Peace or putting together ships in a bottle or something, you're still a "kid".
  I would generally agree with you but would take issue with the word entertain. I think it's more how you spend your time, which is a finite resource.
  The focus on entertainment in this culture (speaking primarily for my US experience but possibly throughout the industrialized world) is mostly marketing of passive entertainment to passive consumers for profit, like any other consumer item. The manufacturers of passive media may want your feedback, but that's so they can better sell you the next one down the line. (Joss Whedon may be much loved, and I'm sure he appreciates it personally, but if his products weren't likely to make a profit most of us wouldn't even know his name.)
  I'm not sure that playing video games or watching porn result in a whole lot more than greater skill in playing video games and watching porn (with, I suppose, a substantial improvement in one's eye-hand-dick coordination). It's not that building a ship in a bottle (or any other creative activity, like writing an app or developing an Arduino project or nearly any hobby) is absolutely a superior use of any person's leisure time, or indeed makes that person superior to Zimbardo et al's hypothetical tribe of hairy-palmed joystick obsessives, but I know which activities are more likely not to bore me (or hurt someplace) after an hour or so.
7. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by griffjon · 2012-05-25 10:07 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  ... I dunno, there could be an intelligent discussion on this topic, but obviously not here at slashdot. Most of the posts are completely reactionary.
  No they're not!
  
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8. Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too by drinkypoo · 2012-05-25 11:15 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Video games used to murder you in a couple minutes for 25 cents. Now they're ridiculously easy and are designed by psychologists to create false senses of accomplishment & hand out worthless trophies/awards/etc.
  Tried Fable 3 yet? Hilarious. In order to develop as a character you need these thingies to open chests that contain abilities, basically. And besides completing storyline quests, and killing stuff, one of the ways to get quite a lot of them is to walk around and interact with people.
  What makes this funny is that "nice" interactions which increase the friendship gauge and move you towards getting more points take the form of dancing with people, tickling them, and flexing your muscles, which you do with people regardless of gender or sexual preference (which is something you can tell by interacting with them and pressing a button. I guess Heroes in Fable have perfect gaydar in addition to their other traits. And what brings that funniness to hilarity is that the controller vibrates when you do it properly.
  In short, Fable 3 is a ham-handed attempt to train aspies to want to interact with people on a social level. Unfortunately, the internets are full of those same aspies complaining about how not having everyone die is hard and when the people come back to the world they all hate them just because everyone died even though they kept all their promises!
  
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totally untrue by MyLongNickName · 2012-05-25 07:53 · Score: 5, Funny

This is totally untrue. I can easily falsify by point out that it it WERE true that Slashdot would be filled with socially awkward men who don't know how to talk to women and live in their parents' basement.

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1. Re:totally untrue by medv4380 · 2012-05-25 08:05 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  So where does that leave me. I'm a happily married father, and my father lives in my basement.
2. Re:totally untrue by LoverOfJoy · 2012-05-25 08:10 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  So where does that leave me. I'm a happily married father, and my father lives in my basement.
  It leaves you liable when your father's kiddie-porn is discovered by the feds.
3. Re:totally untrue by Translation+Error · 2012-05-25 08:21 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  In Soviet Russia.
  
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  When someone says, "Any fool can see ..." they're usually exactly right.
What I am waiting for..... by Lumpy · 2012-05-25 07:54 · Score: 4, Funny

The Porn Video Games. we have not had any good ones for over a decade! And Duke Nukem Forever was not porn unless you are a right wing extremist.
Us zombies demand good porn video games! And PLEASE have it voiced by Ron Jeremey!

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Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
1. Re:What I am waiting for..... by s_p_oneil · 2012-05-25 07:57 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I hear you may be able to find what you're looking for if you're willing to learn Japanese.
2. Re:What I am waiting for..... by PCM2 · 2012-05-25 09:01 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  "I hate it... every time I come home, my roommate is always playing one of those first-person shooter games."
  "You mean like Duke Nukem?"
  "No, the other kind."
  
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If the title's a question, the answer is always by tocsy · 2012-05-25 07:55 · Score: 5, Funny

No.
More Corn Flakes! by Surazal · 2012-05-25 07:57 · Score: 3, Funny

Clearly we need to be feeding the youth of America more Corn Flakes, since they have been scientifically proven to subdue the carnal desires of young men and reduce their masturbational tendencies!

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Good for me by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-25 08:01 · Score: 2, Funny

Take it from me, college ladies. You'd have way more fun with me, a 32 year old who can hold a conversation AND I'm prepared to demonstrate what's called the "classy fuck." You won't get that from "Reese" or whatever his stupid 90's name is. Seriously, I'm here to help.
Re:No chance of ruining the species... by idontgno · 2012-05-25 08:02 · Score: 4, Funny

Does it matter to me if the weak male class doesn't have kids? Hell no -- and they make good employees, too. Maybe better ones.
I dunno. They both have their encumbrances. Daddy says "Sorry, can't work late, gotta watch Junior." Non-daddy says "Sorry, can't work late, gotta raid."

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Just jealous by sl4shd0rk · 2012-05-25 08:04 · Score: 4, Funny

I ditched my G/F, bought a second flat panel, and can play Diablo III while watching pr0n at the same. What's the problem again?

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In related news ... by PPH · 2012-05-25 08:06 · Score: 5, Funny

... researchers say women are hooked on shopping and soap operas. This destroys their ability to connect with men, becoming addicted to instant gratification, the pursuit of unrealistic emotional drama and fantasy relationships.

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Re:If they really are wiping out generations... by berashith · 2012-05-25 08:10 · Score: 4, Funny

I wipe generations off of my stomach every day!
Re:Philip Zimbardo by sexconker · 2012-05-25 08:17 · Score: 5, Funny

This is the same Philip Zimbardo who is infamous for the Stamford Experiment in which he placed university students into a jailhouse environment and allowed it to descend into chaos. Whilst it could be argued he's at the top of his field it could equally be argued that he's an idiot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Zimbardo)
The only way you could argue he's at the top of his field is to define the entire field as a clusterfuck of pseudo-science performed by mentally unstable morons who believe their own bullshit.
Oh wait.
TP? by Pope · 2012-05-25 08:18 · Score: 3, Funny

Toilet paper?

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Re:Last I checked... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-25 08:23 · Score: 2, Funny

i think the fact that you are reading/posting on slashdot proves otherwise.
Re:Giving up Porn and Masturbation has cured my ED by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-25 08:25 · Score: 2, Funny

Don't believe me? You shouldn't. I don't want you to. Be a skeptic. However, if you AT ALL have any ED problems, or if you jerk off a few times a week, I challenge you to go cold-turkey for six months and observe the changes within yourself. You have nothing to lose!
If I did that, I'd be a lot more irritable.
Re:What are good relationships made of? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-25 09:40 · Score: 1, Funny

When my wife and I met we were only concerned with one thing, sex. We have been together for 15 years with only one short separation and sex is still a cornerstone of our relationship.
Oh, another lesbian slashdotter!