England is in crisis mode right now. That is, if you choose to believe what the U.K. Sun wants to sell you. In a recent story published by the paper, they make the claim that Britain "is in the grip of a gaming addiction which poses as big a health risk as alcohol and drug abuse." Wow. Sounds like they need some help over there, doesn't it? At the top of an extensive investigative report launched by the publication, they say how video games have also led to multiple suicides in the past year, along with 5,000 calls concerning video game addiction to a single clinic in the U.K.
However, despite the Sun's weighty claims, one of their sources has come out to dispute the opinions presented by the article. Dr. Mark Griffiths, a professor of gambling studies who provided a questionnaire regarding video game addiction for the article, told Polygon that, "The positives of gaming far outweigh the disadvantages."
Furthermore, in a conversation with Eurogamer, Griffiths also said, "There is no evidence the country is in 'the grip of addiction.' Yes, we have various studies showing a small minority have problematic gaming. But problematic gaming doesn't necessarily mean gaming addiction. They're two very separate things. Yet the media seem to put them as the same."
And with that, yet another claim touting the devilish and insidious effects of gaming has been debunked. Thankfully, this issue can be put to rest until another study or sensationalist article is released detailing why gaming is rotting your mind. We'll give it about a week.
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[via Polygon]
