If you are thinking video games are just “child’s play” – think again.
The number of hours yearly that individuals above the age of 12 play video games increased more than 32.7 percent between 1999 and 2004 according to a report from the US Census Bureau.
The study, conducted by the media firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson, projects an additional 24.6 percent increase in 2009 which would mean a 65.5 percent change from 1999 to 2009 for the medium.
“Games are a terrific way to both attract and hold people’s attention,”
Video games allow the option for the player to include their own material in the game which is sometimes too good at holding someone’s attention, the associate professor of computer science said.
He said that video games can lead to addiction when the game is too immersive.
“The one downside to games is that they are one more distraction in a world that doesn’t need anymore distractions,” Ahlswede said.
Ahlswede said with the new advancements in technology, there are always newer games available by the time the player finishes the one they are playing.
Consumer spending person per year had also increased by nearly 17 percent between 1999 and 2004 from an average of $28.21 to $32.94 which is projected to reach $44.30 in 2009.
A report from the US Census Bureau shows that video games were only one of two types of products within the toy industry which reported an increase in retail sales between 2001 and 2002, the other being in the pretend play category.
The study from the NPD Group, Inc., a market research firm, reported a 10 percent increase in sales which amounts to more than $10.32 million in retail sales for the industry.
Ahlswede attributes these high numbers to increased availability and interest in the medium as well as more access to computers.
More people are becoming more aware of video games as an entertainment option, he said, and they are in more of a position to spend money on them.
“The big games are growing but I think the small games are growing even faster,” he said. “Above all, online games in every range are really growing.”
A press release from the NPD Group, Inc. noted that 39 percent of the time that children between the ages of 2 and 17 spend playing video games is done so online.
Of online games, 91 percent are free according to the press release.
These online games are increasing in demand, Ahlswede said, because they are games that you can play for only 15 minutes at a time.
The release from the NPD Group, Inc. also reported that children who play video games spend an average of 5 to 15 hours a week playing them.
“I am concerned that some children are spending too much time playing video games and possibly becoming game addicts,” CMU sociology professor David Kinney said.
He said that too much time playing video games could take time away from family responsibilities, chores, and homework.
“Spending an inordinate amount of time gaming precludes children from
participating in other family and peer activities that are necessary for healthy socialization,” Kinney said.
CMU freshman Nathan Hochstein said that he spends 10 hours or more per week playing video games.
He said there are times when his video game habits impact his school work, chores, and sleeping.
“Instead of being productive, I play a video game,” Hochstein said.
He recalled one time when he was almost left at home by his mother because he wouldn’t stop playing a video game.
A poll released by the US Bureau of Judicial Statistics showed that 47 percent of respondents felt that video games were responsible for contributing to violence in society in 2001. This percentage increased from 38 percent in 1994.
Video games were the only factor between the lack of adult supervision of children, the easy availability of hand guns, television, motion pictures, and local television news reports that increased between the two dates surveyed.
CMU psychology professor Bryan Gibson said that there is a clear connection in playing violent video games and the likelihood that the player will become more aggressive.
He said that he is familiar with research conducted on the topic which showed that after playing violent video games, the participants of the study were more aggressive when giving the opportunity.
However, Gibson said, not everyone is going to respond in the same way and these individuals were more aggressive because these violent thoughts were fresh in their mind.
Hochstein said that he does not think that video game make the player more violent.
“I think people’s tendencies to be violent are based on their predispositions before playing video games,” he said.
1 comment:
I like it, good story eric
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