Kids Help Phone, a Canadian counseling service for youths, has released results of a survey it conducted into online gaming habits.
Entitled Online Gaming: Child’s Play or Obsession, the survey collected data from 2,793 respondents, of whom 63% were aged 14 years or younger and 64% were female. 59% percent of those polled indicated that online gaming gets in the way of their school work, while 47% indicated that their parents do not, or may not know what games they are playing online.
The study noted that respondents from Northern Territories (the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) spent more time gaming online and were more likely to be unable to quit gaming on their own versus youths from the rest of Canada. Why? According to one respondent from the region, “Cause [kids] don’t have anything else to do.”
The report includes advice aimed at both parents and gamers themselves to assist in responsible gaming, including putting the family’s computer in a central location of the house for monitoring purposes and encouraging parents get their kids to stop playing online games at least a half an hour before bed.
The report also notes some benefits of gaming:
Despite some negative press in recent years, online gaming does offer young people benefits, such as improving memory, building knowledge, developing better eye-hand coordination, etc. It also offers youth who are isolated (either geographically or socially) a quick and, to an extent, safe way to connect with others.
The full 44-page report (PDF) can be downloaded here.
Comments
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
"Cause kids have nothing better to do" is true for 'upper middle class' neighborhoods as well. All of the potential activities, besides 'afterschool activities' that could've been something for the kids to do, such as a VFW have been regulated to such an extent, they're not even usable.
For this situation, whats left? Hang out at the movie theatre, hang out at the diner, or hang out in someone's house. (the latter is the one where the video games come in to play).
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
What about the simple truth? Videogames are fun!!!!
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
Except if you have no money in a city like calgary, then you cant do nothing. Like me.
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
A potential concern about this survey is its generalizability. The survey was posted online in its website and they indicated no form of advertisement or anything to indicate their sample being representative of the population.
Being said, the survey participants are (possibly and/or mostly) youths who are seeking help for problems (i.e. bullying, mental health issues, family issues, peer issues, etc.) and they happen to see this survey on a counselling organization's website. So this is my grain of salt about this survey. That and the fact that 29 respondents from Northern Territories participated in the survey.
http://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/
http://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
Why? According to one respondent from the region, “Cause [kids] don’t have anything else to do.”
The amount of truth to this is surprising. I'm from Toronto, and there's so much to do, that generally kids can stay out of trouble and do fun & meaningful activites outside of school. Kids will always want to drink alcohol & experiment with drugs, sex, etc, but my point is aside from those, youth living in nowhere places like the territories or...winnipeg, will often get into trouble because they are so bored they would rather be vandalizing, getting drug addictions, or playing videogames wayyy to much. At least the latter option is the best one.
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
Exactly, we're in an era right now where if a kid lives in the city and their parents want the kid to go outside and play, the kid has a good chance of getting kidnapped or worse. If I lived in a city, I'd much rather my kids were sitting in front of a screen all day rather than outside with criminals and the like.
"Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend. Do it in the name of Heaven, Jack Thompson'll justify it in the end." - nightwng2000
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
You're part of the problem my friend. Your kid going outside to play does NOT have a good chance of getting kidnapped or worse, it's simply fear mongering that people are buying into. Parents are so scared that something will happen to their precious angle that they won't let them go anywhere by themselves.
And this is in the age of instant communication via text messages and phone calls from cell phones. It's completely ridiculous. Cut your kids free from the apron strings and watch them grow.
By the way, this post doesn't apply if you happen to live in Cracktown, USA.
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
Cracktown, USA is actually exactly the type of city where my post is talking about lol. My point was that you can't really let your kids out alone in a high-crime area.
"Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend. Do it in the name of Heaven, Jack Thompson'll justify it in the end." - nightwng2000
Re: Survey of Canadian Youth Reveals Online Gaming Habits
You kno what? As a Canadian I have to say this is totally true. Online gaming does indeed get in the way of my school work. Why? Because I'm doing something ELSE that is not actually working. (funny because I'm posting from school instead of finishing my lab report) yes gaming will get in the way of your school work, but then agian so will ANYTHING. Sports, TV, guns, knives, shopping, or any other hobby like posting on GP instead of doing your lab you have on your hands that is not school work will get in the way of you finishing that school work.