BBC Documentary - Panorama, Addicted to Games

Quote from D3ads

Also anyone who neglects their friends due to a videogame just needs to be removed from the genepool imho.. what the fuck?!

I agree in part, but you gotta remember that he has friends on the game as well. When I was playing Guild Wars I had a group of around 10 people whom I played a lot, they where (and still are) good friends to me. We talked about the game, but also about other subjects and our lives.

While I've watched my cousin playing CoD and his relationships in the game don't go over the "FAG", "NOOB", "CHEATER", and I know that the vast majority of online games stop at that level, there are true friendships and relationships to be found inside games and gaming communities.

That guy may look like a loser by himself in front of the PC, but you have to consider hat maybe, just maybe, there's more to it than it looks.

Also, from the Panorama website:

Quote

• Check the content of the gaming activity. Try and give children and adolescents games that are educational rather than violent. Parents usually have control over what their kids watch on television - gaming should be no different.• Try to encourage gaming in groups rather than as a solitary activity. This will lead to children and adolescents talking and working together. Also remember that many online games are based on social activity and working together. Research has consistently shown that the main reason for playing online games is for the social element.

• Set limits on playing time. Tell children and adolescents that they can play for a couple of hours as a reward after they have done their homework or their chores - not before.

• Parents and guardians should always get their children to follow the recommendations by the game manufacturers and/or the service providers (e.g., sit at least two feet from the screen, play games in a well-lit room, never have the screen at maximum brightness, and never engage in gaming when already feeling tired).

• Finally, if all else fails, ban gaming temporarily and then, when you feel it is appropriate, allow them to play again on a part-time basis.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/ga ... MP=twt_iph

Point is, whenever something like this pops up everyone gets all riled up about it then we all go back to our lives. It changes nothing in the end. Our favourite past time is going to be made the scapegoat about a lot of things for a good while to come, but so what? it happens to everything; Comics, Tv, Films and now it's Gaming culture. Games are here to stay and they are the best thing ever.

Rock Paper Shotgun has a pretty good response: http://%7boption%7d Basically, there's room for thoughtful debate on the subject, but Panorama was not it.