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"Gaming is good" says IBM
"Buy our machines to game on" says IBM.
Well, that's what they really want to say but can't just come out with it; they dress it up as "to help the industry leverage IBM's products in developing games and cutting overall costs".

Corporate speak for "just give us your money"
So what if someone spends > 30hours a week on a game, that might not be the only reason they're not "giving 100% at work" - have they considered they might not like their job?

Yet another article conflating video games as a whole without questioning the genre.

Mr. Laux does make the distinction but the article does not talk of the violent games that are suspect for their effect on people in desensitising them to violence.

As the New Scientist pointed out this year some of the media give equal balance and air time to video game stories despite the scientific research stories being more factual than someone's opinion.

So in this case no negatives whatsoever appear in the story. Strange that childhood obesity - or rather the lack of physical activity by children - is rarely mentioned by proponents of video games.

Anyway despite being a player of thinking mans PC games [ playing Battlefront's Combat Mission series for 8 years] I certainly would discriminate against WoW players. But then perhaps I more familiar with the type than most : )

Of course gaming is good for you - it's becoming a big bucks media format so undoubtedly IBM and all else who have a vested interest will say it's good for people.

I as a gamer see nothing wrong with video gaming, it keeps my mind active and my hand-eye co-ordination up to scratch, but many people would disagree with the games I play, one of which is GTA IV...

Fortunately I'm not the sort of person who goes out and steals cars and kills people after a gaming session otherwise I'd go and do that to the people who disagree with my choice of game because of their moral stance despite the fact that they themselves have never played a video game in their life...

I have to disagree with the WoW point - all playing WoW does is prove that you can sit for hours in front of a PC farming gold...

@2 DieselTaylor

That is very much the tabloid's talking there. It must be pointed out that most of these violent people commiting atrocities did not have any form of PC or Gaming Console an instead were brought up in a rough neighbourhood where their biggest aim is to be the "hardest" boy on the block.

Because the suspect is young, and the killing may have resembled a game (resembling a game just because a shotgun happened to be used - nice way to draw to a conclusion) doesn't mean that games are responsble. Myself, I would say the tabloids reporting games as dangerous are the ones who have helped create this envious and violent Britiain we live in today.

I have only ever seen games make poeple smile and have fun, but I have yet to see a neighbourhood like Croxteth produce any good news.

I have played video games for many years, including the Grand theft Auto series from its inception. i hold down a normal job and have never committed a crime.

I think it is almost ridiculous that these type of games are sometimes given part of the blame for violent or real world similar crimes. If some individuals cannot differenciate between a fictional environment and the real world and go on to commit crimes because they have played a game then that would to me infer a mental deficiency. I would think that people like this would be as much influenced by media and films than games alone.

I agree with MMPR, the kids on the street committing all these crimes probably dont come from a heavy gaming background, but most likely hang around steet corners every night trying to look hard and intimidate people to gain a kind of self prescribed authority.

As for gaming being good for you, I think that hand eye co-ordination and quick descision making are good things to develop, and if games can do this from an early age then I personally see this as a positive.

I've played WOW for a good few months before jumping ship onto WAR which generally gets more flack for violence as it looks more realistic... *I don't get that in the slighest....*

I don't play it because secretly I like sneaking around and blowing people up with fire balls... I play it because it's fun and became I am also a hobiest of Workshop... I also play Dawn of War and a million other war style games...

I'm also a 21 year old girl... who is in a happy relationship with her own flat, a nice job and no criminal record for mass murder. So Stereo types and blown way out of the water there.

I'd say games are good because the option for most kids lately seems to be games or TV as excersise and sport are out of the question... At least with some games you have to actually use your brain...

Games like WoW most certainly can have a positive influence*, for a small percentage of the 11.5 million. I'm talking about the people who lead guilds and raids, and make decisions. How can it not be a benefit to have experience resource management, and group problem solving guiding teams of players through sometimes complex challenges, selecting the right mix of carrot and stick to get a task completed, all whilst still keeping people satisfied, even if they are excluded.

There's a lot of levels of politics in WoW guilds too, it would most likely shock people; especially if they thought it was all fat nerds wasting their lives.

30 hours a week isn't that many. How much TV does the average person watch ?? Besides playing RPG's gives a slightly unfair example of time spent playing. Many hours will be spent stood still while they search the internet. I don't play Wow and never will but I know some good players who hold down not just jobs and uni but social lives.

Gaming is good for you?

What trash!

Getting outside and talking to people face to face is good for you!

And I help run a game as well!

That is as bad as the idiot educationalist who said that MSN is good for children as it teaches them communication skills fit for the modern world.

What, the skill of telling personal details to some faceless entity that you do not know, cannot trust, and is possibly not who you think they are??

Oh, yeah - this is all really great stuff!

The internet is a toy. It is a means to an end. Games are toys, nothing more.

Don't give them an importance they don't deserve.

@ No. 9.

I am pretty sure there are 300,000 UK army soldiers who would disagree with you... they are using specially made computer games that are certainly not toys and I can assure you the there is a real means to an end.

Also gaming is not good for you but getting out is? Allow me to eductate you... I have seen many people attacked for simply being outside, nothing else. I have seen nobody get attacked by a knife while in their homes playing a computer game.

Do you honestly think these youngsters going around with knives are spending their time indoors on a PS3? Wake up, they are the ones doing exactly what you are saying they should do, except their interpretation of talking face-to-face is to first threaten, then use physical violence and finish off with a nice polished 9" blade to the heart!

Welcome to the real world Gurubear, it isn't as nice as your favourite tabloid magazine (The Sun, Mirror, Daily Star etc) makes out. In fact, those without compuers seem to be slipping out of respectable society and plummetting into their own self-induced dark age!!

It's got as much to do with who's doing the job interviews as anything. In my experience, half the time it's some useless fool from HR (human resources), who has no idea what the position they're supposed to be filling even involves, or the interests of the rest of the team. Far more important is the candidates ability to use HR/management buzzwords throughout the interview, the candidate who uses the most then gets the job.

On the other hand, if you end up with the guy who's actually in charge of the team, such as someone in a supervisory role, you're far more likely to be asked questions such as "ok favourite football team... computer game.... TV show.... Music genre...." and so forth.
Suddenly playing WoW or supporting ManU got you the job; as it turns out this is pretty good for group morale/team building. Which were the sort of words that HR was listening for anyway. You'll also probably be asked questions relating to the actual JOB, unlike the questions from the HR drone.

As for the "playing 30 hours a week" bit... I doubt it, not for more than a few weeks as people get tired/bored/burnedout (exceptions going for professional/sponsored teams). 10 - 15 hours per week maybe, but most people watch more TV than that.

Meanwhile, the ACTUAL benefits will obviously depend on the game. Making money off WoW's auction house system has obvious "real world" uses, meanwhile spending 1 hour-a-night on a game like dancing stage will leave you surprisingly fit after just a few weeks / months. I can't say i'd find any benefits in playing Mario, though.

@ Gurubear-
Not all computer games are "just toys". The likes of Mario maybe, but others are essential tools.
Flight-sims for example.
It's been possible to get super-realistic flight sims for your home PC for ages. The physics behind many of them are top-notch, such that if you can fly them you can pretty much fly the real thing, and you can simulate a variety of disasters such as engine/power failure.
Please, point me in the direction of the airline or air force which doesn't consider these very useful/essential.

Games can be incredibly educational. I'm a 37 year old businesswoman who specialises in commercial strategy for smaller businesses competing against larger businesses. I'm very successful at what I do.

Only 14 days ago I discovered Informatist business strategy game, and in that time I have learned a shocking amount about real world economics. When I return to work after the Christmas break I will be taking new knowledge and skills with me. It's been the equivalent of a 14 day intensive training course - but for fun and free.

Additionally, I've had to learn to collaborate, not just compete, something that I've not fully exploited in the real world. I've made some interesting pen-pals too.

My intention now is to use Informatist as a safe test ground for strategies that I intend to implement in the real world, my real world business will benefit from my gaming hobby.

Some games improve co-ordination and decision making skills, some get you dancing in your living room, others keep your brain alive. A beat 'em up or shoot out can be good stress relief after a hard day at the office. I'm absolutely convinced, though, that games like Mariocarts and GTA worsen driving skills. I hate getting in a car with a driver who has just put down a driving game.

DieselTaylor wrote:
"Mr. Laux does make the distinction but the article does not talk of the violent games that are suspect for their effect on people in desensitising them to violence."

The desensitisation effect of video games is such an incredibly silly theory. Crime dropped significantly in the United States circa 1995-1999 even as violent video games and movies became more and more popular; similarly, in Japan, rape has always been a common theme in movies as old and classic as Rashomon (which is one of the most viewed Japanese movies ever), and yet rape in Japan has consistently been significantly lower than the rest of the 'first world'.

That's why there was no commentary about the subject -- the notion is flawed on it's face.

DieselTaylor wrote:
"Mr. Laux does make the distinction but the article does not talk of the violent games that are suspect for their effect on people in desensitising them to violence."

The desensitisation effect of video games is such an incredibly silly theory. Crime dropped significantly in the United States even as violent video games and movies became more and more popular; similarly, in Japan, rape has always been a common theme in movies as old and classic as Rashomon (which is one of the most viewed Japanese movies ever), and yet rape in Japan has consistently been significantly lower than the rest of the 'first world'.

It's quite depressing that despite who says, or even prooves to us that gaming is good for you - there will always be people stomping thier feet and claiming how ridiculous that is - despite never picking one up.

The fact is - they really are good for your mind. Aside from skills that are claimed to be braught on by the likes of WoW, the fact is that games stimulate your mind, and your co-ordination. What does sitting in front of the TV watching reality TV shows do for your mind? Nothing!

I'm a fairly hardcore gamer. I spend most evenings playing games online and off. And yet another factor of this whole thing is the possible social aspect. Most evenings I'll hook up with some of my close friends online, we'll play games and have a laugh. And it's fantastic - this is a fairly large part of my relationships with these mates as they don't live close by. All this adds up - at least to me - as a massive factor of games doing much more than people realise.

I just hope that before long this narrow-mindedness stops - it's a shame that people critise something they know very little of - when the potential for everyone is there, and is huge.

A new craze is sweeping the youth of the nation, its called reading. Kids in their millions are turning to books to take them to far away lands and fantastic situations. Critics say that the new craze is anti-social and causing childhood obesity because they are always sitting down...

Silly comparison or not? Books cover as wide a spectrum as games, war, crime etc...maybe even wider with stories of sexually abusive family members...you read them alone, though may talk about a good one with friends...and you are still while reading...

The FACT is that while all games are meant to be fun, many will teach you skills for the real world. This is a fact and cannot be denied. Lets ignore the obvious social skills or hand eye stuff and go for what i think is more subtle but ultimately more useful.

Case in point, in any online multiplayer RPG, of the WoW type, where you can buy and sell items an economy develops.

That will be built around desirable items, raw materials and cold hard cash. There will be trading, exchange rates and bartering. There will be experience, naiveties, people who go by the book and those out the make a quick buck. Playing these games teaches you about supply and demand, negotiation a trade, finding a market to sell and recognising a good deal.

Also they can teach you to be wary of scams/offers "too good to be true". Get me once shame on you, get me twice, shame on me.

If anybody still needed more convincing, Id ask them to do some research into the online game EVE. This online game is taken so seriously that each year there are real elections and the people chosen up meet in person the determine the economic strategy for the following term. There are company executives who even use it to hone their trading/negotiation/political skills...

Bottom line, we now live in a blame culture where it is easier for people to point fingers to the easy targets like gaming than look at the real reasons for their problems. In the right environment games are a very powerful learning tool.