Gamers less likely to study at uni. *article*

[SteewpidZombie]

I can honestly say that I won't be going to college, but that is rather because I am a apprentice for my family's business (We do tattooing). It mostly has to do with how I see college as a waste of time if I can make more money tattooing in 4 years then some people make in 8, and it's something that I'd enjoy doing on a regular basis.

So I'm a gamer, yet I also read alot of books...does that have ANYTHING to do with me not attending college or university? Hell no it doesn't, it's all just personal choice.

 

[Xaio30]

92% of all statistics are false.

-snip-

What I wrote is a semi-paradox. Because the probability is high that my own statistics are false...

But i see your own point. And I agree that it's really sad.

 

[RuralGamer]

There are 8 gamers in my year of 24, so a third are gamers; obviously this won't be the same across the board, but I doubt my class are unique; we're all pretty much average people. That kinda contradicts their research.

 

[wulfy42]

Once, many years ago, I left a class at college because I had finished reading a book (think it was the 3rd book in the Laurrel K hamilton Anita Blake series) to quickly drive over to a book store, buy the 4th book, and then return to class (so I could keep reading the series during class hehe).

I never once left a class or missed a class because of a video game, although I am most certainly a hard core video game player. I have spent more time playing video games then anything else in my life in fact, even reading or sleeping (didn't sleep much when I was younger).

Video games though never got in my way, or hurt my grades (4.0 for my AA, 3.98 for my BA and currently a 3.97 for my masters with 2 classes left).

What is more, a large percentage of my fellow students also played video games. Muds, which were text based early versions of current MMORPGs like world of warcraft) used to be played almost entirely by college students and while some students did end up dropping out because of the games, or at least received lower grades, the large majority did just fine.

Video games help spark creativity, they help motivate students (something fun they enjoy doing that uses the mind) and depending on the video game they improve problem solving skills as well. I'd say you are usually WAY better off playing a video game then watching TV, and quite often you are better off playing one they reading a book (depends on the book of course...and the video game for that matter).

MMORPG's of course can be addicting and take over someones life, but I think that is a totally different story. Video games as a hobby certainly do not make it less likely someone will go, or graduate, from college.

 

[Merkavar]

so reading increases your chances of studying and going to uni.

SHOCKING!!!!

 

[Bernzz]

I study at Uni. So do a lot of my friends. Guess what a lot of my friends at Uni have in common with me?

Oh right, we're all avid gamers.

 

[Still Life]

Gaming has actually gotten me more into literature. Modern games like Mass Effect draw some inspiration from classical literature, as well as other influences.

I think games with engaging art direction and deep fiction really complement study... As long as you moderate yourself.

 

[JohnnyDelRay]

God I love how this site (and my father) look critically at every media piece put in front of me. It's so refreshing to see how many people on the first page already picked up that the correlation was backwards. Duh, like lazy people who play games all day are not likely to go to university. So what? I read books now, 10 years later, but before I went to university all I did was smoke weed and hammer games. And that's basically all I did while at uni. It's like saying people who have accidents are more likely to be drinkers.

Article title:

"Gamers Less Likely to Study at Uni"

Direct quote:

"Playing computer games frequently did not reduce the likelihood that a 16-year-old would be in a professional or managerial job at 33, the research finds. "

So what exactly are you trying to say, from what "the research finds" Mr. Vasagar?

 

[ronald1840]

School Work > Family > Employment > Social Life(party) > Sports Recreation > Gaming.

Did you refine those priorities from playing Persona 4?

Hellz yea

 

[Vault101]

INb4 Manchildren try and defend their childish obsession

gaming a childish obsession? people who play games man children? what are you doing on this site?

haha anyway well Im not going to cry "thats crap!" I actually saw this on the news a few nights ago, anyway like any study its not like you can make sweeping conclusions based on this study alone it just takes a little common sense

if you have a kid who reads alot then thats sign (and just a sign not a clear cut fact) that that kid is a little more acedemically/intulectualy focused

video games I guess....well that could be the trait of a "slacker" but not in every case, no you still get big reader intulectual types who also play games (they are called nerds)

anyway we are all induviduals and even gamers know that playing games for too long is harmful

anyway I also find it a little insulting in your assuptions in regaards to gender...women can be gaming manchildren too!....womanchildren?...girl child?, I dont know, eather way I shoud know

 

[Evil Tim]

FREQUENTLY playing computer games appears to reduce a teenager's chances of going to university, while reading enhances the likelihood that they will go on to study for a degree

I notice they don't point out if the people who read will get useful degrees or we're just missing out on more people coming out of uni tens of thousands in debt with polysci degrees and no idea what they're actually going to do with their lives.

 

[Meggiepants]

People born in 1970!? Too much Pong or something?

I'll wait for the study that looks at people who played in their teen years when games were just a tad more complex than that.

Edit: I've decided this is a stupid study regardless of what year it starts. You could also do a study that would find that people who play video games exercise less. Here's the problem with these kinds of studies. Correlation does not equal causation. Slackers may play video games, but that does not mean playing video games made them slackers. I would think it obvious that people who have no interest in college would sit around and do any leisurely activity more than they should.

 

[Jmurray21]

As said before how are they studing teenagers who were born in 1970. They are 41 years old. Most of these 17,00 people would have stopped playing games and many have degrees.

What I'm getting from the Article is
A) If you involve yourself in a leisure activity, games, you will not go to college or University.
B) You will be lazy and lack the ability to read if you play video games.
C) Who ever wrote this article is mental.
D) Oxford is full of fun haters.

Fun is dead. Take the kids and run.

 

[googleback]

nope. I'm a gamer and I dont want to go to uni. but I could Go easily, I have all the grades.

BUT I CANT FUCKING AFFORD IT. MONEY. NOT GAMES. this is just a deflection.

 

[Ubermetalhed]

Did both when I was younger. At university now, still have to read, still game.

If anything gaming at uni is just a massive distraction from doing work.

 

[Evil Tim]

What I'm getting from the Article is
A) If you involve yourself in a leisure activity, games, you will not go to college or University.

B) is actually "You need to go to university for some reason." I recall an old Times article saying the average salary for a new graduate is £14,000 at a time when a trainee manager at McDonald's got a package worth £18,000 and someone without any degree at all could pull down £80,000 a year as an air traffic controller.

We put way too much emphasis on going to university just being the thing you do after going to school rather than something you do for some actual reason.

 

[Fragged_Templar]

I read and play games, so .. I guess they cancel each other out?

I should think so, I play games and read a lot, and I just started on a master's degree.... So yea, I'd say the two cancel out.

 

[googleback]

What I'm getting from the Article is
A) If you involve yourself in a leisure activity, games, you will not go to college or University.

B) is actually "You need to go to university for some reason." I recall an old Times article saying the average salary for a new graduate is £14,000 at a time when a trainee manager at McDonald's got a package worth £18,000 and someone without any degree at all could pull down £80,000 a year as an air traffic controller.

We put way too much emphasis on going to university just being the thing you do after going to school rather than something you do for some actual reason.

EVERYONE i know is going only because they don't know what they want to do. I'm trying to become an actor and i'm good enough without needing to study the history of drama in some uni course that'll put me in debt coming out with nothing but useless knowledge.

I dont know what to say to anyone who goes without a reason, itll be fun i guess but VERY expensive.