Representation - starter articles

From www.childrenfirst.nhs.co

Computer game fans are ‘not unhealthy’

The common view that computer gamers are out of shape and overweight is not true, researchers claim.

In fact, many gaming fans are actually healthier than average, a new US study reveals.

More than 7,000 players of the online game EverQuest II were asked about their health by a team of scientists. They found that many exercised more than once a week and had a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than the average American.

But gamers were more likely to suffer from depression or substance abuse than non-gamers. It is not clear from the study if gaming led to these problems.

The research was done by three US universities and published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.

It comes as the effects of computer games on health and wellbeing is put in the spotlight. As the games become more popular, more people are studying their impact.

Some have linked excessive gaming to emotional problems, social issues and obesity.

But professor Mark Griffiths, the director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, told the BBC there was no evidence that anyone, other than a small minority, were being harmed by their computer game hobby.

He said: "A lot of people talk about 'excessive gaming' as if it is always bad to take part in gaming, but the context can make a big difference.

"I can think of two case studies of people who both spend 12 hours a day playing EverQuest, but while one is clearly obsessional, the other one is perfectly normal.

"Genuine addicts are few and far between."

From the Daily Mail

Computers and TV blamed for teenage violence and casual sex

By Steve Doughty

Computers and television have pushed a generation of children towards violent behaviour, early sex and mental illness, a large-scale study said yesterday.

It cited celebrity culture, advertising and peer pressure among the reasons why girls often have sex as soon as they reach the age of consent.

And it blamed computer games, the internet and television for 'the lurch to more and more violence which we know can breed violence and increase mental illness'.

The warnings came in the second stage of the Good Childhood report for the Children's Society.

The report warned of the effects of long hours spent watching television, on the internet and playing computer games.

'There is much evidence that exposure to violent images encourages aggressive behaviour,' it said.

'On television, violence is frequently shown as part of a normal human life.

'The violence is both physical and psychological, and violent argument appears as a standard response to disagreement. To be sure, there is plenty of violence in Shakespeare and in the cinema. But people used to go to the cinema once a week, whereas our children now watch television for an average of 17 hours a week.'

The report called for measures to cut the impact of television on young people, including a ban on all advertising aimed at children under 12 and an end to advertising of alcohol and unhealthy food before the 9pm watershed.

Answer the following questions in your exercise book:

1) Are teenagers represented fairly in these articles? 

2) Do you think violent computer games influence your behaviour?