Would young men be rioting in the streets if they didn’t have video games to pacify them?
Hear me out.
We are seeing record levels of young men unemployed and living with their parents: The future for them is bleak. Saddled with college debt, they can barely get a job that pays miimum wage, while living independently is forever out of reach.
I feel like at other points of history, there would be more social unrest, but things are exceedingly calm given the economics.
I was watching a video by Healthy Gamer, a gamer bro-turned psychiatrist. He points out that video games are very addictive and seductive because they MIMIC accomplishment. You can grind to get to the next level, you can gain new skills, you are continually put on a treadmill of constant progress. It’s very satisfying in a hollow way, satisfying in a way that might make you forget that society has nothing to offer you but debt and homelessness after you followed all the rules.
Are video games weapons of mass distraction, the metaphysical equivalent of a million Christians being fed to a million lions every day?
Why not?
Never thought about it like that! It’s probably just like how so many under 30s living with their parents these days isn’t a sign of distress, they probably just love their parents more than every other generation!
What fascinating insights you have.
I asked “why not?” to a specific assertion. Teenagers getting less horny. I think it’s entirely reasonable that this is the case, now that we have endocrine disrupting chemicals being dumped into the environment.
Yes, people not having money to spend don’t go out as much. That is not the fault of videogames, that is the fault of capitalism and pollution.
The decline in teenage sex is very recent (last couple of decades) whereas endocrine disrupting chemicals have been dumped for decades and decades prior to that.
This seems like realllllllly motivated reasoning on your part.
Okay. So if videogames are to blame, why are videogames so special? Why didn’t this collapse when books became cheap and available? That’s a solo hobby. Why didn’t it collapse when cards became available? Plenty of solo cars games.
Also, data shows that sperm counts have been dropping since the 70s, and native birthrates have been below replacement since the 80s. It’s not a recent trend at all, it’s just that people are starting to notice.
Do you read as much as you game? Do you really think most people find books and video games equally appealing?
You’re conflating fertility and teens having sex.
The drop off in teen sex is way more recent than either of those, started in the last decade or two.
This really seems like ever more frantic motivated reasoning.
I read more than I game.
You know, accusing someone that disagrees with you of participating in bad faith once is one thing. Accusing them of participating in bad faith and desperation makes me think you once gave someone an ultimatum to pick between videogames and you, and you got dumped as a result.
Maybe you should calm down. (See?)
If you don’t know what something like motivated reasoning means, maybe check before you start complaining about being accused of bad faith arguments?
I say desperate because your “arguments” have gotten progressively sillier. Maybe you really don’t know about endocrine chemicals and how long they’ve been around but seriously comparing the addictive/time suck nature of video games to books is utterly nonsensical.
(And no, I haven’t dated a gamer. I and the folks I date tend to spend our time outside. Though it would be a marvel for gender equality if I had to give some nice lady a video game ultimatum!)
If I’m being honest, I’m pretty sure you’ve decided videogames are to blame and have literally no interest in opposing opinions. That is motivated reasoning.
You are rejecting anything that doesn’t fit your worldview outright. You don’t think books can be as addictive as videogames, so you just reject that I spend more time reading books than playing games. Then you call me silly for suggesting it. You are obviously here in bad faith.
There is no point discussing anything with you.