Post image for Boring Classrooms Lead to Video Game Addiction

Boring Classrooms Lead to Video Game Addiction

by Brian on 7/6/2010

Not that I am in anyway an advocate of video games, but I read this Globe and Mail article and I thought I should point out the flaw in blindly believing stats.  While this study suggests that kids who spend more than 2 hours playing videos games are more likely to have attention problems, it may also be possible that kids who have attention problems are more likely to play video games.

I’m not entirely convinced that it’s video games alone that are causing attention problems. It might just be the education system itself and how students are taught. It could be that students are not at all engaged at school, and therefore resort to more engaging video games. This study is just trying to find something else to blame educational problems on.

I like this quote though:

“It actually causes people to view this high level of stimulation as normative. And by comparison, life is sort of boring. It doesn’t happen fast enough.”

“Life isn’t as interesting as video games are.”

So maybe if life was a bit more interesting, or if school was a bit more interesting, we wouldn’t have this video game problem.

Related posts:

  1. Video Games
  2. Party Video
  3. Redwood Kids
  4. A Very Sad Video
  5. Response to “What Our Sons See”
  • http://canadianundercover.wordpress.com Canadian Undercover

    As someone who has been officially diagnosed with ADHD (combined type) I tend to agree with you. I think it is more likely that children with ADHD will spend more time at the computer/video games than their peers. The problem with ADHD isn't that they can't pay attention, its that there is too many things to pay attention to.

    A video game requires complete concentration, is fully engrosing. The computer easily follows the wanderings of the ADHD mind.

    Wiener, a professor of school and clinical child psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, said it may be that a focus on media technology means children aren't getting enough exercise — which can lead to a lack of concentration.

    This is true for anyone! But also very true if the child suffers from ADHD.

    I don't know that there is an increase in ADHD occurances, I think that we are seeing more people diagnosed with it because people are able to function in an irradic manner.

  • http://www.brianjones.ca joshaidan

    “A video game requires complete concentration, is fully engrosing. The computer easily follows the wanderings of the ADHD mind. “

    That is an interesting perspective, thanks for sharing. :)

  • Mlipscombmtl

    I completely agree with you. School is dangerously boring, and we really can't blame kids for turning to video games for stimulation. Thanks for bring up the topic.

Previous post:

Next post: