Jesus Christ's Latter Day Saints: Video Games are Bad
Better stop selling their own one then.
Outpost Zarahemla
Research from Brigham Young University has been published. It's bad news everybody. Alex Jensen and his faculty mentor, Laura Walker, state that, "The most striking part is that everything we found clustered around video game use is negative."
See that? Everything clustered around video games use is negative.
The purpose of the study was, "to gain a clearer understanding of the pattern of video game and internet use among college students and to examine how electronic leisure was related to risk behaviors (i.e., drinking, drug use, sex), perceptions of the self (i.e., self worth and social acceptance), and relationships with others (i.e., relationship quality with parents and friends)"
We were shocked and stunned. We then realised that Brigham Young University is a distinctly faith-based place of study. It is in fact a university set up and run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the Mormons.
But before we drew any conclusions, we thought we'd go back and play a few levels of Outpost Zarahemla. You remember, that game where you "join Elder Hero whose mission is to expand the Mormon colonies in space". The game from LDS Games; as in Latter Day Saints Games.
But then we thought, "Nope, well look at some of the research." Apparently, "Participants included 813 undergraduate students (500 young women, 313 young men, Mean age = 20, Standard Deviation = 1.87) who were mainly European American (79%), unmarried (100%) and living outside their parents’ home (90%)."
The press release issued to sell the $34 piece of research tells us, "Young adults who played video games daily reported smoking pot almost twice as often as occasional players, and three times as often as those who never play.
"For young women, self-worth was low if their video game time was high."
Strangely, co-author Alex Jensen, "does not admit the results to his own family. For now he holds out hope that future research will exonerate consoles or games designed for multiple players."
Poor Alex can't even admit the results of the research to his own family. Well, we hope that his family reads SPOnG and are finally able to come to terms with their son writing research papers for his university.
Enough already. We have an agenda. We like video games. BYU has an agenda, it likes baptising the dead and reading scripture from plates. Let's agree to differ.
See that? Everything clustered around video games use is negative.
The purpose of the study was, "to gain a clearer understanding of the pattern of video game and internet use among college students and to examine how electronic leisure was related to risk behaviors (i.e., drinking, drug use, sex), perceptions of the self (i.e., self worth and social acceptance), and relationships with others (i.e., relationship quality with parents and friends)"
We were shocked and stunned. We then realised that Brigham Young University is a distinctly faith-based place of study. It is in fact a university set up and run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the Mormons.
But before we drew any conclusions, we thought we'd go back and play a few levels of Outpost Zarahemla. You remember, that game where you "join Elder Hero whose mission is to expand the Mormon colonies in space". The game from LDS Games; as in Latter Day Saints Games.
But then we thought, "Nope, well look at some of the research." Apparently, "Participants included 813 undergraduate students (500 young women, 313 young men, Mean age = 20, Standard Deviation = 1.87) who were mainly European American (79%), unmarried (100%) and living outside their parents’ home (90%)."
The press release issued to sell the $34 piece of research tells us, "Young adults who played video games daily reported smoking pot almost twice as often as occasional players, and three times as often as those who never play.
"For young women, self-worth was low if their video game time was high."
Strangely, co-author Alex Jensen, "does not admit the results to his own family. For now he holds out hope that future research will exonerate consoles or games designed for multiple players."
Poor Alex can't even admit the results of the research to his own family. Well, we hope that his family reads SPOnG and are finally able to come to terms with their son writing research papers for his university.
Enough already. We have an agenda. We like video games. BYU has an agenda, it likes baptising the dead and reading scripture from plates. Let's agree to differ.
Comments
Shepdog 23 Jan 2009 16:22
1/10
As a "Mormon" living near BYU, I can tell you that BYU may have an agenda, but it sure doesn't represent the LDS church's view on video games. This study doesn't really prove anything, anyway. Like any study, they probably got the highest risk people to participate. Games can have a negative affect on people, but honestly, all these studies only tell us what we already know: Some people are pothead addicts and that's their thing. Take the study for what it is because there are a ton of studies just like it that say the same thing and aren't based on religion. Alex represents himself not a church or a university.
BTW, I like video games, movies, girls, AND baptisms for the dead, but I don't recall ever reading from plates. We have these things called books and this cool thing called the "internet."
BTW, I like video games, movies, girls, AND baptisms for the dead, but I don't recall ever reading from plates. We have these things called books and this cool thing called the "internet."
Joji 23 Jan 2009 17:19
2/10
You know something, i'm done with church types long ago. Always got some jibe to spill out of their gobs. Games are evil....blah blah...go away!!
Hey, tell me what Jesus was up to, in those mysteriously lost year of his life (18-30), edited from the bible, then....then I might listen to you. Again, wishful thinking.
Hey, tell me what Jesus was up to, in those mysteriously lost year of his life (18-30), edited from the bible, then....then I might listen to you. Again, wishful thinking.
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Psalms 24 Jan 2009 00:28
3/10
"Young adults who played video games daily reported smoking pot almost twice as often as occasional players, and three times as often as those who never play. For young women, self-worth was low if their video game time was high."
Ignoring the whole church thing for now (as I don't really see the relevance) surely this all stems from gaming, like smoking pot, being a form of escapism. Those who have a low self-worth are more likely to seek escapism and therefore are more likely to play games. Those who want escapism are more likely to smoke pot and also more likely to play games.
None of that data surprises me in particular, although there's no way anyone could spin that to mean that gaming causes pot smoking and low self-worth (although of course someone will find a way).
Ignoring the whole church thing for now (as I don't really see the relevance) surely this all stems from gaming, like smoking pot, being a form of escapism. Those who have a low self-worth are more likely to seek escapism and therefore are more likely to play games. Those who want escapism are more likely to smoke pot and also more likely to play games.
None of that data surprises me in particular, although there's no way anyone could spin that to mean that gaming causes pot smoking and low self-worth (although of course someone will find a way).
YenRug 24 Jan 2009 23:21
4/10
I notice that no-one thought to suggest that increased pot usage leads to a greater likelihood of playing videogames, did they?
Why does the study infer that videogames lead to pot smoking, yet they don't consider the inverse to be likely? Which has been around longer, pot or videogames?
Why does the study infer that videogames lead to pot smoking, yet they don't consider the inverse to be likely? Which has been around longer, pot or videogames?
OptimusP 25 Jan 2009 15:57
5/10
YenRug wrote:
I notice that no-one thought to suggest that increased pot usage leads to a greater likelihood of playing videogames, did they?
Why does the study infer that videogames lead to pot smoking, yet they don't consider the inverse to be likely? Which has been around longer, pot or videogames?
Why does the study infer that videogames lead to pot smoking, yet they don't consider the inverse to be likely? Which has been around longer, pot or videogames?
Well, the rasta-religion is based on the belief that David (one of the Israeli kings in Old Testament time) smoked pot on a daily basis to help in his "wise decisions".
So they believe that they should be smoking pot every day too, which is now, as a right reckognized in Italy. Now this is a religion i can get behind ^^
Toompje 26 Jan 2009 09:47
6/10
Only possible conclusion.....Correlations do not prove causality
TimSpong 26 Jan 2009 11:13
7/10
Toompje wrote:
Only possible conclusion.....Correlations do not prove causality
Too right. That should be printed over the front door of every research establishment. Along with: "There's a chance that was a coincidence".
Cheers
Tim
GodisAll 26 Jan 2009 11:15
8/10
Tim Smith wrote:
Along with: "There's a chance that was a coincidence".
"Thank God for Darwin" is all I have to say, thats the truth of it.
tyrion 26 Jan 2009 14:24
9/10
Toompje wrote:
Correlations do not prove causality
Tim Smith wrote:
There's a chance that was a coincidence
Can I add "The plural of anecdote is not data" to your list?
way 9 Mar 2009 18:28
10/10
He!
Or people that drink, use drugs or have sex, and who are young and single at UNI are more likely to play video games. Also there are married people that drink, have sex and use drugs.
Well at least it was not a Christian/Mormon does over videogames hackfest. Fun facts: There are many different groups of Mormons with various beliefs. One of my best friends was a senior Mormon around here and used to be in Kylie Minogue's Church decades ago (also a director or Mormon youth in his state, or was that the country, looked and sang like a certain famous singer). But I am not saying I agree with Mormonism. Classic Mormonism itself is not usually regarded as real Christian but Christian like.
No, I have not met Kylie yet, and asked her to marry me (whoops did I say that :) ).
Or people that drink, use drugs or have sex, and who are young and single at UNI are more likely to play video games. Also there are married people that drink, have sex and use drugs.
Well at least it was not a Christian/Mormon does over videogames hackfest. Fun facts: There are many different groups of Mormons with various beliefs. One of my best friends was a senior Mormon around here and used to be in Kylie Minogue's Church decades ago (also a director or Mormon youth in his state, or was that the country, looked and sang like a certain famous singer). But I am not saying I agree with Mormonism. Classic Mormonism itself is not usually regarded as real Christian but Christian like.
No, I have not met Kylie yet, and asked her to marry me (whoops did I say that :) ).