A Response to Philip Zimbardo: "The demise of guys?"

A friend shared this on Facebook and I found it rather interesting and provoking, so I thought I would share it here as well:

http://www.ted.com/talks/zimchallenge.html


Now, by no means does this offend me in anyway, I feel that I may be an exception to the population Zimbardo is referring do. So I don't particularly have an urge to defend myself as a gamer, but I do have a bit of an urge to defend the medium once again.



But first, a little hard truth?

I can't help but see a connection between the porn viewing statistics and video games. Now, I am not saying they're interchangeable and mutual, but I do think there is an obvious connection. Chemically and culturally, to be precise. Chemically, in that porn (and other such activities) like gaming cause neurological arousal that aren't at all very different. Culturally because well... video games exploit women... there's no arguing around that. In a perfect world, there wouldn't be anything wrong with porn or impossibly attractive women in video games, as there is nothing "unnatural" in moderately and passively fixating on either. But as we know, this is not a perfect world. And as common as it would be for me to pose a feminist argument, this entry is actually focused on boys and the slobs we have become... as opposed to the slobs we were two decades ago, I guess.

First, I find the link between gaming and the dropout rate questionable for a couple of reasons. Hasn't gaming culture in the past generally been centered around the same groups known for academic achievement, aka "the nerds"? So, if I'm to take it that the stereotypical "gamer" has fully transformed from the nerds of yesteryear to the modern day antisocial/socially passive dropout then doesn't that speak more to the idea that games don't produce the "underachiever trait" in boys, but rather that boys who are inclined by nature to exhibit these types of traits will be predisposed to pick up gaming? If so, I think this argument could only be centered around the most mainstream and profitable games and how they have honed in on a already existing market, rather a glaring fault in the merits and potential of the entire industry.

Now for the issues with intimacy, the avoidance of relationships and the inability in pleasing a woman. Well, certainly games hand-in-hand with pornography have played a role in that, but I don't think it's the fault of either medium really. I think that it's symptomatic of a bigger condition, a larger societal issue having to do with the encouragement in masculine culture to urge selfish sexual conquest and eschew relationships, which according to the myth perpetuated by male-centered media, cause the man to surrender power and potency in domestic relationships. I mean, it's one thing to be exposed to the various romantic and sexual disparities of power in porn and in video games, but it's quite another ballgame when it's reinforced by the larger cultural mindset.


Now I'm a heterosexual male in a committed long term relationship. When I was younger I used to be weird around girls, but now I'm actually more comfortable talking to a strange female than a strange male. Gaming is probably the most "masculine" activity I do, so I find camaraderie in mixed groups that share my interest in other hobbies and tastes. I used to do poorly in school, but now I do quite well and actually enjoy Academia. So with all these summations, Zimbardo's argument only halfway applies or applied to me at a more immature age.

So all in all, I can't argue with the academic statistics, and in many of the other regards I have to agree with Philip Zimbardo here. Of course it's my ultimate bias to defend gaming and at the same time, help shake the image of it being a male-exclusive and introvert-producing medium. So to Zimbardo I say, that yes... games from these past couple generations have been going through there own pre-pubescent growing stages and do have an honest resemblance to the role you have described. But everyday, our medium and our culture grows, and soon enough it will be just as silly to make sweeping statements that generalize all of gaming just as it would be for all of film and literature. 'Til that day, there will be thoughtful, intelligent, and socially-minded gamers who will continue to defy those statistics and stereotypes from our awkward years. And, that is what I believe is truly inevitable.



Y'know... this topic brings me to something else that I've wondered for a long time. Is the natural difference in the average male brain an the average female brain enough to ensure that like many sports, video games remain a male dominated culture, or does a lot of it weigh into nurture and the separate ways boys and girls are gendered from a young age? Wow... that's certainly a topic and one worth a lot of investigation and definitely it's own entry.