Ben-DutkaI love video games. I probably always will.
They can be healthy, stimulating forms of entertainment, especially if you have a diverse array of interactive interests. I have always believed that extreme levels of violence in all forms of entertainment can be exceedingly dangerous for developing minds (which is why I'll always remain a fierce proponent of the ESRB), but I'm not about to call games "evil."
These are artistic expressions in more ways than one and if we don't over-indulge, our lives can be that much richer for partaking. However, all this being said, I'm inclined to agree with Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, who blames video games and pornography as contributors to the de-masculinization of men. Obviously, Zimbardo is talking about indulging to excess, which is always a problem.
But we're starting to see more and more examples of men simply failing at life, which is why more studies are being conducted, and why we're seeing more works like "The End of Men" in 2010's The Atlantic and the recently released "Backbone: The Modern Man's Ultimate Guide to Purpose, Passion and Power" by David H. Wagner. Men don't have to be vice-ridden Type-A-personality womanizers (ala "Mad Men") to be considered "manly;" in fact, that's just more immaturity. But there was a time in human history when men really were men, when they had a backbone, when they had confidence and purpose.
If we over-indulge in the virtual universe, you will lose both. That's an absolute guarantee. It has a damaging effect on development and it absolutely stunts social growth. Again, we're talking about cases where an individual spends the overwhelming majority of time with a screen, indulging in fantasy, as opposed to dealing with real people. Anybody who believes this doesn't have a profoundly negative impact needs to wake up. That's all I'm saying.
They need to reboot the Cable Guy movie for today as Video Game Guy.
That'll learn 'em
Last edited by Temjin001 on 5/11/2015 10:36:25 PM
Haha – I love Jim Carrey.
There's only room for ONE Carrey in this world, but boy – what a guy.
That's right people, just because you can whip out your johnson and run down the streets in Saints Row doesn't mean you should do it in the real world.
This actually is not what the article implied.
Is it because the average penis isnt as big as they are in porno? Look all you have to do is hold it at a certain angle and it looks just as big as the one's in the movies… not that I have any issue with that kind of thing… Just trying to be helpful to all the other guys.
And this is why I keep coming back to PSX Extreme. Great article Ben, and I do agree. "Indulging to excess" is the key phrase for me here.
Meh the way I see it how someone wants to spend their FREE time is perfectly ok as long as their priorities are in order and taken care of first, i.e as long as theyre keeping the bills paid and a roof over their head, what they choose to do after all that is said and done is their decision.
Now i you become one of those ppl that play so much you quit work (or lose your job because of your gaming) to play and end up being 30+ still living with your parents because you lost your job or dont wanna work because youd rather be at home playing THEN I have an issue with that, but if you can be a "functional addict" i.e understand that work, bills, food and making sure you have your own place to stay, are all taken care of first THEN gaming comes second and thats what you spend 99% of your free (is called FREE time for a reason, how you decide to spend it is and should be dictated by you and only you it is YOUR time after all) time doing after those other things are taken care of… we can be best friends.
tl;dr version: You can't live in the virtual world without having the basics of the real world taken care of first. internet, electricity, food, water and mortgage/rent dont pay them selves, and a video game plus the body that uses it cant function without those things. So those things are first, gaming is secondary
Last edited by duomaxwell007 on 5/11/2015 10:58:53 PM
Sometimes real world is so boring, people are fakers and the result to have a real life and compromising with others can have a catastrophic end too…nowadays women are so independent, men are treated like providers and you spend your life just to satisfy their pleasures..and one day, your woman turn your back to you and say that she found another interesting guy and you lose everything because you build your life based on others and not in yourself…Maybe if we observe men's behaviour in Japan we can perceive how the world is becoming in modern day. We can't blame games for that. Games are just a escaping route for a sickness society in the problem exposed.
Last edited by Voyager236 on 5/12/2015 1:37:36 AM
amen
Exactly. Us men are treated like shit from women these days. We can learn alot from Japan. They've proven there are better women in the world that ver.1 women can't even compare. They've (ver.1 women) have already lost and its funny sometimes because they don't even realise it yet.
Porn and video games… Has someone been looking at my PS Vita?
Joke honest, if my wife is reading this!
Last edited by Gordo on 5/12/2015 2:22:09 AM
Bah, as if the real world can't mess you up just as badly…
Common sense is what you need. And if you don't have that, you're destined to fail in some degree either way.
Yeah exactly. Sadly, common sense isn't all that common…
Video games saved my life. I grew up on the crude bronx streets and have experienced in my life what others do not in 10 lifetimes. Around every corner i turned there was a bully, a gang, or some sort of violence. I was able to maintain my sense of self and purpose because of my good o'l gameboy pocket, my playstation, my nintendo 64. Because i wanted to be like sora, who would travel the stars to save all the worlds. Because i thought i wanted to be honorable like snake who would do his duty no matter what.I wanted to be independent like red/blue, facing the world without fear. In video games we encounter characters we'll never meet in the real world and from who, even some of the very best of us can learn from.
Last edited by ViolentSmiley on 5/12/2015 9:15:14 AM
I feel you,Smiley. Video games are sometimes lifesavers for guys like us who live in harsh environments. Its better than being on the streets and around negative people and places. I wish some of my bro's would have grown up with video games rather than slingin dope and shit…
Final Fantasy heroes shaped me in my youth 🙂
What part of the Bronx are you referring to?
Great article Ben. Really hit me where it hurt though…
It is about time I started taking on more responsibility, rather than escaping from it
Anything in excess is bound to rob you of things. Addiction in general is always a 'rob Peter to pay Paul' kind of problem, regardless of how it's manifested. So while I agree that videogame addiction is real and can have deleterious effects on a person, it's the addiction part of it that is the problem, not what they're addicted to.
Yeah, there's other stuff happenin too. Women don't really need us anymore, they got kids and careers, and a line of men behind them waiting their turn so we gotta fill our weekends somehow!
And values change. The new gen doesn't value masculinity, it has gone out of style.
Failing at life is about using someone elses standard. I choose my own standards for success. You don't fail unless you are not happy and not moving in the direction of "better".
I don't know about all this, if anything it could be said about most things. Yes, there are probably a lot of people who spend way too much time playing video games, just like there are guaranteed way MORE people who spend way way too much time watching TV, or watching sports like basketball or football etc.
Depends on your definition of manliness I suppose. Technology has changed the way our roles are defined. What was once manly to do hard laborious work, is now easily accomplished with technology. What used to be rugged hobbies are now filled with technological "toys". Even most white collar jobs where they were considered manly, have changed once women were no longer excluded or advised against, and technology has had a hand in that too. The world has changed.
Now as for your other point of shirking responsibility, yes technology is a great time waster. I have, in the past, been late to things because I just had to get that last match in or get to the next level or finish this mission. But I wouldnt consider that a manly issue. Plenty of women do that too.
By the by, I dont disagree with you. But I dont feel your, or anybody else's, reasoning for the "fall of Man" being this big problem. Man hasnt fallen. It's just that everything else has been finally able to catch up.
The real world is a broken mess. Common sense is so rare these days I consider it a superpower and people are dumber than ever. Men are still men its just that a vast majority of us are realising women aren't worth it.They're realising the "vag***" isnt some godly object to be praised and become a slave to, nor has it ever been.
No, I'll stick to my virtual reality and my pornography.You can't even get a tenth of what you get there in the real world.Because we are weak, fragile, pathetic sacks of flesh(how come animals get all the strength,agility,phyical defense,etc.) and dont say "cause we got the brains." We cant even travel beyond our planet and all we do is fight each other all the time.
As far as women go, its 2 steps foward 10 steps back,not worth it period.There's nothing wrong with expecting a great loving relashionship and great sex with women, only in the real world you're not going to get it. So forget it.
Dang, some of you all seem seriously depressed. Gaming is supposed to be a fun hobby, not some kind of philosophy/way of life. Everyone has troubles in life but using anything, including playstation, as a way to numb yourself is just perpetuating a cycle of ineffectuality. And even though Ben's original post didn't bring up women at all, it seems many commenters are using women as some kind of scapegoat on which to blame their problems. Have you ever considered that rather than idolizing women (which comes with an impossible set of expectations), or demonizing women and blaming their evil ways for your unhappiness, that maybe they are just people and you should treat them like human beings? If a woman doesn't want to sleep with you, who cares? Just the fact that you think you're a nice guy doesn't give you a deed to her vagina. Seriously, cut the gamergate crap.
I must rebut, every artistic medium is discussed among its followers. Philosophical thoughts on gaming are much more welcomed than the hate theatre other sites show in the comments section. We love games and we love discussing them in every way. And games deserve critical reception as with any medium.
Being enthusiastic and discussing shared interests in gaming is completely fine, I'm talking about online trolls who have a narrow definition about what being a true 'gamer' means and resort to flaming/SWATing people who dare to defy that definition.
Ben was talking about overindulging in virtual universes. I believe he was mainly talking about game addiction and escapism, but I can extend his argument to also be about online communities (4chan, reddit, etc) that spew inbred vitriol towards women, minorities, and wii owners.