The House of Commons; UK Government, has created a select committee in order to gather evidence on whether or not gaming is harmful or helpful to society:
Call for evidence from gamers
Is gaming harmful or helpful to society? How does the design of a game keep you playing for longer? What help is needed for people who are concerned about the amount they are gaming? What responsibilities do games designers have to their players? Are young people disproportionately affected by the addictive qualities of games and apps? What makes the UK a world leader in gaming and VR/AR and how can the industry be supported? The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee needs gamers and young people to submit their views for a new inquiry they are running on immersive and addictive technologies.
The Committee want to hear directly from people who have views and experience playing games or working in the games industry.
This is taken directly from the Committee’s webpage, which you can access and respond to right here.
This inquiry was triggered by the World Health Organisation declaring ‘gaming disorder’ as a genuine addictive disorder. This claim was recently disputed by Entertainment Software boss Stanley Pierre-Louise; “It’s our hope that through continued dialogue we can help the WHO avoid rushed action and mistakes that could take years to correct.”
Please take this chance to use your voice and have your opinion count, here is mine:
GAMING IS INCREDIBLY HELPFUL TO SOCIETY. Not only does it provide millions of people, young and old, with a hobby that can distract them from the mundane nature of real life but it provides people with an option, an outlet or an escape. Would you rather see the kids currently playing Fortnite for hours going out on the street drinking or getting up to god knows what? In Scotland, underage drinking has seen drops of nearly 70% since 2002. What increased at that time? Online gaming exploded in popularity. Call of Duty became a household name. Minecraft was everywhere. Experts claimed this way due to the way alcohol is marketed. BUT IT ISN’T. It is very clearly down to the fact that young people today have much more options when it comes to activities and hobbies from twenty years ago. Now let’s go around the world to the University of Montreal. Their study showed that playing certain video games, naming Super Mario 64, would help to tackle Alzheimer’s in 55-75 year olds. This was compared to taking piano lessons. Video games were the better option. These tests are still in their infancy as well. There is other evidence that shows gaming enhances problem solving skills, it improves your communication and so much more. This is a wonderful hobby that does so much good and this is your opportunity to share that positivity.
