Wii Are Not Amused
During quarantine, my boyfriend started spending two or three hours a night playing video games. Not only do I think this is unhealthy (since video games apparently lead to violence and psychological problems), but I think gaming has become a coping mechanism/escape tool for him. How can I get him to stop?
— Annoyed
Claiming gaming causes violence is like claiming white wine causes stabbings. (Give somebody a sip of Chardonnay and before you know it, they’ll be dealing meth and then arrested, convicted, and shanking somebody in prison.)
There’s been a lot of “moral panic” over video gaming. A moral panic is a mass overreaction to some behavior, art form, or group of people, driven by the fear that it poses a threat to society’s values and the social order. Examples include rock lyrics said to be corrupting teenagers and the belief in the 1980s…
