Gaming vs. Reading: A Comparative Look at Youth Pastimes and Addictions

Addiction Economy Thought for Today - are young people addicted to computer games, does the amount of time they play on it matter?

When I was growing up in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, Appletreewick to be precise, surrounded by beautiful countryside, I never went out at all, pretty much ever. My Mum used to say 'it's a lovely day, go for a walk' (though she never did either!). But I just used to read Enid Blyton or later Georgette Heyer novels and peel the orange bit from jaffa cakes and warm it up on the radiator! Day after day, year after year. There were few children around, and my sis and I didn't like the same things, I would have LOVED computer games.

Because of this I am a bit conflicted about the time that young people spend on the computer, is it any different to me? Was I harmed, are they?

Joe is a computer game fan, and plays with friends. But he's recognised that one game in particular, League of Legends, was sucking up too much of his time and doing his head in, so has quit.

We are thinking to distill the problem and the harm. Perhaps it's the gradual ramping up of addictive elements which makes them even more compulsive? The various techniques that game companies use to hook them which when it was Minecraft or Sims was containable, but now is getting out of hand?

But perhaps our 5 Models of Addiction has something to offer - Psychological - eg it is really fun, good for coping, boredom, becomes a habit which is hard to break. Biological - some people are more likely to become more immersed than others, perhaps for biological reasons (??). Social - it is rooted in social connection, part of peer group dynamics. Moral - it is easy for adults to look down on the young person sitting in their room glued to a screen and bemoan their lack of will power etc, we must beware of that. And of course Economic - all these are designed to be optimally addictive, so it's no wonder.

I read my crappy books because I was bored, there was no-one to play with and nothing else I liked doing. What is the difference between that and the motivations to play todays computer games? Probably nothing.

Except most young people will learn a lot more useful things from playing computer games with friends and strangers than I learned from Georgette Heyer - who wrote vapid period romances about girls falling in love with good looking blokes and living happily ever after!

But there are harms to some and we have to ensure those who feel they are too addicted can get help to step away. From the article:

"Dee credits the gaming disorders clinic with making the breakthrough with Jake. Does she have any advice for other parents who are worried about their child’s gaming? “I’d say to all parents, please don’t ever give up. It’s worth fighting for. And it does work,” she says, “We’re the living proof that it can work.”


Lots of thinking for us to do.