Why more and more young people are playing video games (and is it really that bad)

Games simulate work and career growth

This is especially true for the games of the genre that currently dominate the market - open-world action RPGs that combine the brutality of traditional shooters with expansive landscapes and the complex RPG character-building system.

Such games consist of a cycle of tasks for which the player receives rewards, becoming stronger and more experienced as a result. It usually takes a lot of time and dedication to complete. For example, an average single-player game takes over 60 hours, while online multiplayer games can take hundreds or even thousands of hours. And although these games are usually wrapped in a fantasy shell, they are more like a work simulator than entertainment.

Unsurprisingly, for many young people, especially those with low levels of education, video games are increasingly taking up the workplace.

According to economist Erik Hurst of the University of Chicago, uneducated men in their 20s and 30s now work less time and spend more time playing computer games than in 2000. It is also more likely that men in this group are single, have no children, and live with their parents or other relatives. …

It would seem that there is something to lose heart from: to live without work, without prospects, giving all the time to computer games. But according to polls, representatives of this group note a higher level of subjectively perceived happiness than men of the same age at the beginning of the 21st century.

Hirst thinks problems start later. If a person's youth is spent on video games, in adulthood they will find themselves without the skills and connections that are in demand. “These young people without qualifications who were happy at 20 feel much less happy at 30 and 40,” says Hirst.

Games help to cope with psychological stress during unemployment

However, there are benefits to playing video games. Long-term unemployment is one of the most depressing situations a person can face. The feeling of happiness drops dramatically and never returns to its previous level. According to German researchers, unemployment affects life satisfaction even more strongly than the death of a partner Subjective well-being and adaptation to life events: a meta-analysis. … And video games alleviate the hardships of this period.

For those who cannot find an interesting permanent job (or even any job at all), gaming is becoming a way to spend extra free time. This is more a symptom of economic problems than their cause.

Games give you a sense of success, make you feel like you are heading in the right direction, develop your skills, and achieve something. They bring purpose and order to the players' lives. In other words, they make people happier and act as a buffer between the player and their despair.

Of course, there are also disadvantages in this situation: although games protect people from life's difficulties and problems, they can also reduce the desire to work, because the period of unemployment does not seem so difficult with them.

Games create the illusion of mastery

"Video games make you feel like you're good at something," says game developer Erik Wolpaw, who helped create Portal, Left 4 Dead and Half-Life.

A tactical shooter makes you feel like a cool special forces soldier, and a car simulator - a first-class racer. But in reality, you are just practicing recognizing visual information on the screen and moving your fingers in time. You are learning to operate a controller, not a machine gun or a racing car.

Games create a sense of mastery without real skill. It's just a way to make your fantasy come true. A fantasy about work, purpose, social and professional success.

When asked if games really make us happier, or if they only offer a pale semblance of happiness, Wolpo replied, “This is a philosophical question. They are definitely fun. I spent a lot of time developing games, but even more time playing them. And I don’t regret it”.