With the world spending more time indoors, gaming is enjoying a boost right now. Gamers are indulging in their passion more often and many others are venturing into new gaming worlds for the very first time. As the number of people gaming increases, the age-old debate of gaming being bad for you raises its ugly head once more.
However, what we really want to explore is why gaming gets so much bad press compared to YouTube and Social Media, which are both arguably equally bad for your mental health.
The Perception Of Video Game Violence
Video game violence has long been blamed for real-world incidents. Even just in the last couple of years, we’ve seen Indian cities ban PUBG Mobile, enforcing this with fines, due to fears it was addictive and caused players to become more violent and aggressive.
This time last year President Trump tried to lay the blame for America’s mass shootings on video game violence, saying “We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.”
Over the years many studies have been undertaken into video game violence. So far none have proven a meaningful link between aggression and video games. As recently as July this year a study by researchers at New Zealand’s Massey University has concluded that “Current research is unable to support the hypothesis that violent video games have a meaningful long-term predictive impact on youth aggression.”
However, despite this, it’s still gaming that seems to take the brunt of the criticism when screentime is discussed negatively, either in terms of violence or in terms of addiction. So, is this fair?
Gaming As A Healthier Use Of Screentime
Over on the TrueGamning subreddit, user Dragon_king14 started a debate about how gaming is a healthier use of screentime than social media or YouTube. They state that “Although gaming can be addictive and a time sink, I argue that it’s still much better to have a society interested in gaming, especially young adults, than all obsessed with social media and YouTube instead.” So, does this argument hold up? Is gaming truly a better use of screentime?
Unsurprisingly, there is a wide range of views in the thread, many of which are well thought out and make for interesting reading. Ultimately, it becomes apparent that the simple question of games versus YouTube versus Social Media is far too simple. You cannot break it down in these terms, as how healthy any of these mediums are ultimately depends on how you consume them. As Reddit user Fblolanos says “at the end of the day, it all depends on the content in any medium.”
Content Over Platform
All three platforms have their own benefits and drawbacks and all three are often linked together, since gamers in particular often frequent social media and YouTube alongside gaming. However, gamers aren’t the sole cause of toxicity on platforms.
Many social platforms see users presenting only the highlights of their lives, posting unrealistic ideals, arguably often in order to try and foster jealousy from others. We also see social media used to circulate and try and validate homophobic, racist, sexist, and otherwise toxic views. There is a very dangerous and nasty edge to social media that all too often can make people with an axe to grind feel validated.
YouTube can be an extension of this culture, with toxic content creators spouting and promoting hatred as well as rallying their supporters to their cause. This often ends in the creator’s audiences launching online attacks through social media against specific targets, causing upset and spreading harassment. Some of these creators are gaming-focused but many aren’t. Toxic channels may focus just on social issues or may spread over into celebrity culture or similar areas.
However, this doesn’t mean gamers aren’t a cause of online toxicity, far from it. Gamergate opened the floodgates for abusive individuals to start channeling their hatred towards specific targets and sadly it’s not slowed down since. Certain games have toxic online communities and public voice chat channels can be a minefield of abuse, especially for women. All three platforms have their bad points but are they all bad?
Balancing Your Media Consumption
Having healthy habits for either social media, YouTube, or gaming all require the same steps to be taken. It doesn’t actually matter which platform you prefer, each and every one has positives and negatives. While we focused on the negatives above there are also some positives.
Social media can provide ways to connect with others, especially for minority groups such as LGBTQ+ communities or those with disabilities. Extending your social reach online means more chance of finding hatred but also more chance of finding love and acceptance. Many online friendships are as strong, if not stronger, than those based on location and support groups, and strong, helpful, and welcoming communities are also to be found.
Likewise, YouTube can teach and inform, with videos on a wide range of subjects to be found. Users can learn how to perform DIY tasks, discover more about art, science, languages, and culture, or even just watch an enjoyable web show. The platform is filled not just with toxicity but also with educational, informative, and well-made content.
Finally, gaming also varies. Games aren’t all violent. Some are relaxing, some make you think and some connect you socially and require teamwork and co-operation. Different genres fulfill different needs and reflexes, reactions, and motor control are also tested.
Ultimately, whatever media you consume the key is to seek out content that is beneficial to your mental health and to balance your time to ensure your family, friends, home life, and work don’t suffer. Balance and content moderation are key, the medium itself is completely irrelevant.
NEXT: New Research Shows Benefits Of Gaming Outweigh Drawbacks
