{"id":13213,"date":"2023-07-03T15:54:29","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T15:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1397894"},"modified":"2023-07-03T15:54:29","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T15:54:29","slug":"french-riots-and-5-other-social-ills-blamed-on-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=13213","title":{"rendered":"French riots and 5 other social ills blamed on video games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Emmanuel Macron has a new scapegoat for the riots engulfing France. As violent protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of a teenager spread across his nation, the president first blamed social networks and parents, before pointing the finger at a beloved boogeyman: video games.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sometimes feels like some of them re-live in the streets the video games that have intoxicated them,\u201d Macron said at a crisis meeting on Friday.<\/p>\n

The 45-year-old was echoing a common claim, but it\u2019s one with scant empirical evidence. Studies<\/a> have consistently rebuffed connections between violent video games and violent behaviour. Christopher Ferguson, a professor at Stetson University who studies the links, says \u201cthere\u2019s not evidence of a correlation, let alone a causation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Other experts fear the issue is attracting too much attention. According to the American Psychological Association<\/a>, \u201cattributing violence to violent video gaming<\/a> is not scientifically sound and draws attention away from other factors\u201d \u2014 which cynics argue is the entire point.<\/p>\n

Undoubtedly, there have been numerous occasions on which video games have made politically-expedient excuses for social ills. Here are five of them.<\/p>\n

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Crystals, jets, and magnets \u2014 is this how to make cooling greener?<\/p>\n

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1. Mass shootings<\/h2>\n

Macron is not the first world leader to blame violence on gaming. After two mass shootings across a weekend in 2019, then-US President Donald Trump<\/a> made a similar claim.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must stop the glorification of violence in our society,\u201d he said. \u201cThis includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump was echoing a theory that has become prevalent since the horrifying shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. Unsurprisingly, the National Rifle Association has become <\/span>a prominent supporter<\/a> of the hypothesis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Columbine, the honesty stopped,\u201d Ferguson told<\/a> the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

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The teenagers got the protesting idea from video games? Macron is sounding an awful lot like, well\u2026<\/p>\n

(Published in the New Yorker in 2018, by me and @scottdools<\/a> ) pic.twitter.com\/LAoGAmiz1Y<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jason Chatfield (@NewYorkCartoons) June 30, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

2. Satanism<\/h2>\n

Some of the world\u2019s most popular video games have been connected to Devil worship. Two notable examples are the first-person shooter Doom<\/a> and the Pok\u00e9mon franchise, both of which have been accused of promoting satanic themes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Catholic Church, however, has denied such allegations. <\/span>In 2020, <\/span>Sat2000, a satellite TV station run by the Vatican, said<\/a> Pok\u00e9mon<\/span> was based on \u201cintense ties of friendship\u201d and lacked \u201cany harmful moral side effects.\u201d<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n

3. Divorce<\/h2>\n

World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Fortnite have all been held accountable<\/a> for marital breakdowns.<\/p>\n

According<\/span> to <\/span>Divorce Online<\/a>, 5% of UK divorce filings in 2018 cited addiction to online games as a reason for their breakup. Admittedly, partners with video game addictions can be annoying (sorry, babe), but it\u2019s more a symptom than a cause of relationship problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Depression<\/h2>\n

Gaming is regularly<\/a> linked<\/a> to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. However, <\/span>research<\/a> suggests that the impacts<\/span> typically only affect people with existing mental health problems.<\/p>\n

On a more positive note,<\/span> several studies have shown that games can actually help <\/span>fight depression<\/span><\/a> and anxiety<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Bad dancing<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s one detrimental effect of gaming that\u2019s simply undeniable: Fortnite\u2019s influence on terrible dancing.<\/p>\n

The global hit offers an array of immensely popular emotes, from the Dab<\/a> to the Floss<\/a>. Unfortunately, these dances are now increasingly also found IRL. Footballers<\/a>, pop stars<\/a>, and influencers<\/a> have all given the cringey moves a go, promoting the wretched bops to countless impressionable youths and adults.<\/p>\n

If Macron is genuinely concerned about video games, he should investigate this matter immediately. But that may involve a disturbing look in the mirror:<\/p>\n

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Just Macron dabbing on Pogba\u2019s post-match Insta. <\/p>\n

I want Theresa doing the Fortnite dance with Jesse right now. pic.twitter.com\/7ZoJPMtU3V<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) July 15, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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