Can you blame video game addiction for young men dropping (or failing?) out of college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That would be parental failure.

I do wonder how parents allow them in the home in the first place. It's not like an 8 to 14 year old kid can afford these things and two, should be allowed to buy one if they somehow earned enough money to have one (it's YOUR house). I know credentialed rich parents allow them, too, but it seems these systems are far more prominent in low and middle income homes. Especially single parent homes. It just seems way too dangerous to risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My father flunked out for playing cards all day/night. 30 years later, my friend flunked out for playing video games.

Honestly, I see a lot of similarities between my father and friend, so I don't think it's just video games. Immaturity, lack of self-confidence, inability to process consequences for actions, and plain laziness.

That's true. My nephew failed out about five years ago and claims he pissed away most nights and practically every weekend from Sept through the Superbowl watching NFL, college football, and NBA games. I don't even think he was gambling on games, unless you count fantasy football.

I think simply not valuing college is a major factor. They're just (barely) going through the motions because they do not care. While many dull kids can still plow through a bachelor's because on some level they have their eye on the prize (graduating) and beginning a career -- while the dropouts and failures don't ever "buy-in" to the value of college.

[Anonymous]

I do wonder how parents allow them in the home in the first place. It's not like an 8 to 14 year old kid can afford these things and two, should be allowed to buy one if they somehow earned enough money to have one (it's YOUR house). I know credentialed rich parents allow them, too, but it seems these systems are far more prominent in low and middle income homes. Especially single parent homes. It just seems way too dangerous to risk.

Plenty of Gen X parents grew up with video games even if it was just Atari and its successors. DH already had three systems when our kids came along (we were in our mid-20s) and had no reason to think of them as "dangerous" - I wonder if it's the older parents who are really uptight about them? We usually only bought the kids new games for Christmas and they would generally be finished by the end of winter break. The rest of the year, they might play casual games with their friends once in a while.

My ADHD kid was interested in online gaming between maybe 7th and 9th grade but then he got involved in other things. He had no interest in taking a gaming system with him to college. The ADHD kids I know who stayed in their rooms playing video games had other issues that led them to drop out (usually untreated depression). My daughter's roommate simply slept through her first year of college before dropping out - no video games required!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the huge number of people who enjoy video games without issue, I think it is important to look beyond the game to the person playing it in order to diagnose their problem.

Men are dropping or failing out of a college are a far greater clip than females (I think it's 2x) -- especially low to middle income men and minority men, especially. At many four year universities these cohorts only have a 10-33% chance of graduating! And almost all of them have video game systems in their dorm or apt.

Despite what DCUM thinks, low income kids primarily drop out due to financial stress. They can’t afford to retake courses also.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, story of Pinocchio written in the 1880s, same plot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the huge number of people who enjoy video games without issue, I think it is important to look beyond the game to the person playing it in order to diagnose their problem.

Men are dropping or failing out of a college are a far greater clip than females (I think it's 2x) -- especially low to middle income men and minority men, especially. At many four year universities these cohorts only have a 10-33% chance of graduating! And almost all of them have video game systems in their dorm or apt.

Despite what DCUM thinks, low income kids primarily drop out due to financial stress. They can’t afford to retake courses also.

This is a myth. Most of the low-income students I've seen drop out of university were going for free -- not just free, they were essentially getting paid to be in school because of refunds checks each semester. Not to mention low-income students get first dibs on cushy campus work-study jobs.

The root cause of the drop out is lack of maturity, self control and academic preparation (matriculating under college ready levels).

This American Life detailed a low-income boy and girl (I think they were bf and gf) who went to SLACs together. Both were going for 100% free, he was ditching class and was kicked out. He was so delusional, he came back the following semester and didn't think kicked out meant literally kicked out.

Act Two
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/550/three-miles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the huge number of people who enjoy video games without issue, I think it is important to look beyond the game to the person playing it in order to diagnose their problem.

Men are dropping or failing out of a college are a far greater clip than females (I think it's 2x) -- especially low to middle income men and minority men, especially. At many four year universities these cohorts only have a 10-33% chance of graduating! And almost all of them have video game systems in their dorm or apt.

Despite what DCUM thinks, low income kids primarily drop out due to financial stress. They can’t afford to retake courses also.

This is a myth. Most of the low-income students I've seen drop out of university were going for free -- not just free, they were essentially getting paid to be in school because of refunds checks each semester. Not to mention low-income students get first dibs on cushy campus work-study jobs.

The root cause of the drop out is lack of maturity, self control and academic preparation (matriculating under college ready levels).

This American Life detailed a low-income boy and girl (I think they were bf and gf) who went to SLACs together. Both were going for 100% free, he was ditching class and was kicked out. He was so delusional, he came back the following semester and didn't think kicked out meant literally kicked out.

Act Two
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/550/three-miles

It just bothers me how much people use the word delusional here, especially wrt to engineering, premed, econ, and math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That would be parental failure.

Exactly. Teach them to manage time. Video game consoles have been around since the early 80s. Not like it's a new phenomenon.

Like gambling casinos, modern video games are designed with the psychology of addiction baked into the cake.

So yes, not everyone will get addicted, but a vulnerable subgroup will.

I would try, when your kids are younger, so make games one of many entertainment outlets. Including others are are more physical and social.

I too know one child (with extremely educated parents) who failed out of school due to a video game addiction. He was also hospitalized for other mental health issues. Very sad case.

(My hunch is that these parents failed to see the down side of technology early on, and devoted too much of their time and attention to their careers....but I could probably happen to any of us. )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the huge number of people who enjoy video games without issue, I think it is important to look beyond the game to the person playing it in order to diagnose their problem.

Men are dropping or failing out of a college are a far greater clip than females (I think it's 2x) -- especially low to middle income men and minority men, especially. At many four year universities these cohorts only have a 10-33% chance of graduating! And almost all of them have video game systems in their dorm or apt.

Despite what DCUM thinks, low income kids primarily drop out due to financial stress. They can’t afford to retake courses also.

This is a myth. Most of the low-income students I've seen drop out of university were going for free -- not just free, they were essentially getting paid to be in school because of refunds checks each semester. Not to mention low-income students get first dibs on cushy campus work-study jobs.

The root cause of the drop out is lack of maturity, self control and academic preparation (matriculating under college ready levels).

This American Life detailed a low-income boy and girl (I think they were bf and gf) who went to SLACs together. Both were going for 100% free, he was ditching class and was kicked out. He was so delusional, he came back the following semester and didn't think kicked out meant literally kicked out.

Act Two
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/550/three-miles

You are thinking of such kids at relatively elite schools, not community colleges where most are more likely to go. My cleaning woman's daughter works several days a week in a doctor's office so she can afford to take 2 classes a semester. She cannot afford a computer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That would be parental failure.

I do wonder how parents allow them in the home in the first place. It's not like an 8 to 14 year old kid can afford these things and two, should be allowed to buy one if they somehow earned enough money to have one (it's YOUR house). I know credentialed rich parents allow them, too, but it seems these systems are far more prominent in low and middle income homes. Especially single parent homes. It just seems way too dangerous to risk.

In low income homes living in higher crime areas, video games are one of the better ways to keep your kids out of trouble. Especially if they are home alone while you work etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That would be parental failure.

Exactly. Teach them to manage time. Video game consoles have been around since the early 80s. Not like it's a new phenomenon.

Like gambling casinos, modern video games are designed with the psychology of addiction baked into the cake.

So yes, not everyone will get addicted, but a vulnerable subgroup will.

I would try, when your kids are younger, so make games one of many entertainment outlets. Including others are are more physical and social.

I too know one child (with extremely educated parents) who failed out of school due to a video game addiction. He was also hospitalized for other mental health issues. Very sad case.

(My hunch is that these parents failed to see the down side of technology early on, and devoted too much of their time and attention to their careers....but I could probably happen to any of us. )

NP - my hunch is that they just didn’t think and wanted their kids to be cool/like the other kids. It was maddening when my 8 year old DS had friends, whose parents were teachers no less, who threw Fortnight birthday sleepovers. WTH? We are Gem X parents and think there is a time and a place and an age for different things and Fortnight in 3rd grade was not one of them!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That would be parental failure.

Exactly. Teach them to manage time. Video game consoles have been around since the early 80s. Not like it's a new phenomenon.

Like gambling casinos, modern video games are designed with the psychology of addiction baked into the cake.

So yes, not everyone will get addicted, but a vulnerable subgroup will.

I would try, when your kids are younger, so make games one of many entertainment outlets. Including others are are more physical and social.

I too know one child (with extremely educated parents) who failed out of school due to a video game addiction. He was also hospitalized for other mental health issues. Very sad case.

(My hunch is that these parents failed to see the down side of technology early on, and devoted too much of their time and attention to their careers....but I could probably happen to any of us. )

NP - my hunch is that they just didn’t think and wanted their kids to be cool/like the other kids. It was maddening when my 8 year old DS had friends, whose parents were teachers no less, who threw Fortnight birthday sleepovers. WTH? We are Gem X parents and think there is a time and a place and an age for different things and Fortnight in 3rd grade was not one of them!

I mean, you could say similar things about parents who smoke cigarettes (which people still do in their houses, let their kids watch tv for hours a day, or eat crap. Fortnite is safer than all of those.

[Anonymous]

The question is a very broad one. As a college professor who has studied psychology at the doctoral level, a man, a video gamer, and someone who has had friends with multiple types of addiction problems, I feel at least somewhat qualified to comment on this.

As another PP said, a lot of addictions are related to the same underlying personal dispositions (whether these are hereditary, caused by some type of trauma trigger or underlying depression, or other unknown causes). So, a video game addict could have potentially just as easily become an alcoholic or drug addict. Or, they may be addicted to multiple vices.

However, just like with alcohol, there are plenty of video game players who play what many would consider excessively and are still able to complete their studies or other life obligations. Are they "problem gamers?" Maybe. I had a friend who went to a treatment center for video game addiction and at no point did anyone in his life besides me know that he had a problem. He excelled at work and quite literally won awards in his industry, all while being completely addicted to World of Warcraft and barely sleeping, night after night for almost a year.

Additionally, of course there will be players who play 10-12 of video games a day and still get better grades than your DS or DD who went to extra tutoring and did Level IV AAP and blah blah blah, because well, they're just smarted than your kids, more organized, or have some other favorable attributes.

In my estimation, the main reason kids "fail" any class is almost always one of two reasons: lack of intelligence, or laziness. If you're dumb or lazy, you may also play a lot of video games! That doesn't mean you failed out due to video game addiction.

So, to just make the simple statement "can you blame video game addiction for young men failing out of college," I think the answer is, "yes, this can be one of hundreds of reasons that people fail out of college."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The question is a very broad one. As a college professor who has studied psychology at the doctoral level, a man, a video gamer, and someone who has had friends with multiple types of addiction problems, I feel at least somewhat qualified to comment on this.

As another PP said, a lot of addictions are related to the same underlying personal dispositions (whether these are hereditary, caused by some type of trauma trigger or underlying depression, or other unknown causes). So, a video game addict could have potentially just as easily become an alcoholic or drug addict. Or, they may be addicted to multiple vices.

However, just like with alcohol, there are plenty of video game players who play what many would consider excessively and are still able to complete their studies or other life obligations. Are they "problem gamers?" Maybe. I had a friend who went to a treatment center for video game addiction and at no point did anyone in his life besides me know that he had a problem. He excelled at work and quite literally won awards in his industry, all while being completely addicted to World of Warcraft and barely sleeping, night after night for almost a year.

Additionally, of course there will be players who play 10-12 of video games a day and still get better grades than your DS or DD who went to extra tutoring and did Level IV AAP and blah blah blah, because well, they're just smarted than your kids, more organized, or have some other favorable attributes.

In my estimation, the main reason kids "fail" any class is almost always one of two reasons: lack of intelligence, or laziness. If you're dumb or lazy, you may also play a lot of video games! That doesn't mean you failed out due to video game addiction.

So, to just make the simple statement "can you blame video game addiction for young men failing out of college," I think the answer is, "yes, this can be one of hundreds of reasons that people fail out of college."

I know someone who went to Univ of Chicago, played video games there all nights, and was soon sent home. His parents tried to enroll him in local universities, but it didn't work out. He then decided to become a professional game player. Last year I heard him took part in some e-sport competition and won a prize. Not sure how long it will last as his reflex will slow as he ages.

He is quite smart and not lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That would be parental failure.

Exactly. Teach them to manage time. Video game consoles have been around since the early 80s. Not like it's a new phenomenon.

Like gambling casinos, modern video games are designed with the psychology of addiction baked into the cake.

So yes, not everyone will get addicted, but a vulnerable subgroup will.

I would try, when your kids are younger, so make games one of many entertainment outlets. Including others are are more physical and social.

I too know one child (with extremely educated parents) who failed out of school due to a video game addiction. He was also hospitalized for other mental health issues. Very sad case.

(My hunch is that these parents failed to see the down side of technology early on, and devoted too much of their time and attention to their careers....but I could probably happen to any of us. )

NP - my hunch is that they just didn’t think and wanted their kids to be cool/like the other kids. It was maddening when my 8 year old DS had friends, whose parents were teachers no less, who threw Fortnight birthday sleepovers. WTH? We are Gem X parents and think there is a time and a place and an age for different things and Fortnight in 3rd grade was not one of them!

It reminds me of another poster, on this forum. To the parent grappling with what to do for her child, the poster suggested, "I would just do what most of her friends are doing."

totally abdicating any responsibility for doing your own research, tailoring the decision to your child, etc. Most people are sheep, I am convinced!