To think I was wondering what I might discuss in this blog post . . . apparently the blogging gods somewhere decided to throw me a bone. A bone in the form of Robert Brockway’s 5 Bizarre Ways Video Games Are Screwing Up Your Health. Here is my take on it . . .
143 diggs, “5 Bizarre Ways Video Games Are Screwing Up Your Health” Cracked.com
#5 Poor Self Esteem . . .
Apparently seeing the women in volleyball video games is supposed to give me a negative body image. Along the same line that watching anime movies will make me want to grow a tail and have animal ears. Ask Brad, the typical response I have to that stuff is to laugh. It’s just funny to me.
They aren’t just applying this to women though, they are applying it to men too. So how many of you desperately dreamed of achieving Ryu’s figure after playing Street Fighter? or longed to develop the amazing pointy ears that Link sports in Zelda?
I’d like to point out that after I showed Brad my statement on Link’s ears he responded with “only after hearing how hot you thought they were.”
Point proven.
I do not know anyone that has gotten a negative self image from video games. However, it can cause some people to have unrealistic expectations of the opposite gender. For instance, Link’s pointy ears 
I do have a question, if video games give a negative body image . . . does that mean that angelina jolie should be killed?
I mean shoot, walking down the STREET will affect your body image. SHOPPING will affect your body image . . . okay well maybe most of this stuff only applies to women. I’ve shopped with Brad, his routine consists of going through pants, finding his size, buying it. That’s about it. Not a whole lot of time to lament the fact that maybe an inch was added onto his waist.
When I’m looking to get a certain body type I do not look at women in video games . . . why? Because they could all kick my butt and I’d rather not scare people away. I think if I decided I wanted to look like Chun Li physically most people would be afraid to come within fifteen feet of me, have you SEEN her calves?
Moving on . . .
#4 Male PMS
um, okay, awkward . . .
to quote
“A study by scientists at Stockholm University hooked up some teenage boys to heart monitors, and then split them into two groups – giving one group a violent video game, the other a non-violent one. The results they found revealed a much higher heart rate variability in the violent group, which continued well after they stopped playing and even into their sleep that night. In general, higher HRV can cause a myriad of symptoms, from increased stress to seizures and loss of bladder control.” (Cracked.com Robert Brockway) See Study Results Here
Okay, #1 these are all teenagers . . . I’m not sure how seriously to take that particular sample group considering how hormonal teenagers are in the first place.
#2 I’d really enjoy getting the SPECIFICS of the study. For instance, how long did they play, how often did they take breaks, were they all in a social group or was it specifically individual study . . .
#3 Watch a suspense HORROR movie before you go to sleep and I’m sure your heart rate will go up and you will lose sleep. It’s an adrenalin thing. If I go running before I go to sleep I will have a hard time getting to sleep because *gasp* I’ve been RUNNING! Heart rate goes up and all that.
#4 I see that it causes a myriad of symptoms, how many of there test group actually exhibited these symptoms?
If these symptoms are basically what they like to call “PMS among men” . . . so?
So whatever.
Ooo here’s my favorite one:
#3 ADDICTION!!!
Wheeeeeee!!! That’s right kids, you can become addicted to video games. So get off all those video games and get on drugs! (kidding)
Apparently video games feed the male need to dominate, to stomp, to conquer ….. annnnnd so does football but that’s good ol’ fun there! More likely to break your leg or arm, BUT its not a video game.
Because males have this need it makes video games more appealing to them, but not as appealing to women . . .
Hey!!! I resent that!!
Let me put it this way, one of the reasons I have a hard time getting addicted to video games . . . well . . . EXTREMELY addicted to video games is because I get extremely emotional about them. I get mad, I scream, I might even throw something. The easiest way to handle that is to learn to turn off the TV and move on. Maybe its because I have an extremely competitive streak that I stifle. Ask Brad, I go nuts when we’re playing something like pictionary, imagine how I get when I’m surrounded by evil monsters with only one arrow left . . . it gets interesting to say the least . . .
#2 Speech Impediments
Okay, well I haven’t heard of anyone on XBox Live having a speech impediment. I also don’t know of anyone personally that has suffered from a speech impediment after playing video games . . .
TWO YEAR OLDS?? Okay, how many people know a two year old that doesn’t have some sort of speech issue?? That’s just annoying . . . I’m not going to waste anymore time on that. It’s just bull…
Okay so the #1 is *drum roll*
SOCIAL DYSFUNCTION!
Wait . . . social dysfunction?
I’m sorry, I have a bit of an issue with this one . . . why? Maybe because my main form of getting to know people is through video games. For instance, I was thrown into a social situation when I was in school, I had one kind of friend in a group, she had her best friend, and then they had four guys that they knew. I was basically in the dark, sitting at the table, when all the sudden I heard a magic word “Ike”. I immediately turned around and asked “Ike? From Super Smash Brothers Brawl?” I got a stuttered response of “yes” from the guys and I exclaimed “Oh I LOVE him!!”
And so the ice was broken.
I’ve seen MOST male social interaction happen over video game playing and I’ve been around boys most of my life. Well, all of my life.
I’ll be fair, this study is talking about ALL technology. Not just video games.
I still have an issue, why do MOST people spend time on the internet? They’re socializing. They are either socializing on forums, AIM (iChat for us Apple people), or chat rooms. All that good stuff.
I get it, I get it social dysfunction. Let’s face it though, some people are just socially dysfunctional. It can happen if your intellect is high, you have odd hobbies, or you are just antisocial by choice.
Not to mention the people kill their own argument at the very end of the article. Tsk tsk . . .
Hey… I have a Godzilla video game.. does that mean I’m gonna wanna look like Godzilla? RAWR!