Science Finally Confirms What I’ve Been Telling My GF All Along
Posted by jonnielaw , Dec, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
It happens every Tuesday. I get off work, bust out some house work, grub some food, crack a beer and prepare for several hours of pwnation. This is an agreement that my better half and I have come to. When that lovely day rolls in, I am completely available to join my guildies for wonderous conquering in the World of Warcraft.
She doesn’t understand it: the thirst, as I like to call it. But she loves me so she gives me my space. Once upon a time, when we first started dating, I tried to explain my fixation with gaming. At the time, I was really into FPS games, particularly online. I told her that it fed some primal need for me to unite with other men (well, okay, sometimes boys) and claim our dominance over others. The strategy that is involved when trying to capture another teams flag as vehicles roar and mortars explode cannot be explained in mere words. But, alas, she thought I was just making shit up and let me go about my business.
Well, thanks to this article by Chris Matyszczyk at CNET I finally have some justification. In it he writes about the findings of one Professor Allan Reiss of the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research at Stanford University. Dr. Reiss has discovered that gaming actually satisfies the yen within men to fuck shit up in the name of dominance. The mesocorticolimbic center of the brain rewards men with feelings of success when territory is gained. Since we live in a society were it isn’t cool to just smash one in the face and take their shit, it’s no wonder that men are so easily addicted to games that let them live out such urges.
So the next time you are getting hassled about gaming to much, just remind whoever is nagging you that if Hitler had access to Call of Duty, the world might be a better place. Hmmm, I wonder if that comment falls under Godwin’s Law?
Tags: aggressive, dominance, gaming, men, mesocorticolimbic center, science, Stanford University, territory, urges
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jonnielaw says – reply to this
well put. i too have come logged on to a game with the intent of ruthlessly pwning some strange to release aggression created by the numerous dolts i come across in my day to day life. it also helps me live out certain fantasies, such as the urge to car-jack an ice cream truck and drive it off the roof of a 4 story building with a hooker riding shotgun (god bless ya, GTA)
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charliekemmerer says – reply to this
i truly feel that unlike the general opinion on the matter that gaming incourages violent behavior, gaming can be a non-violent outlet for the common man. after living in NYC for 12 years even the most peaceful of personalities can be tested, hence the ability to roleplay is a welcomed break.
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