[starbug]

Found this, its so sad make me laugh my head of!

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=241566&site=cvg

First it was (well in the UK) video games caused

Violence
behaviour problems
obese child
underaged pregnancy!(still trying to work that one out)

now its the teeth! Next thing you know they'll be blamed for the weather! It its getting stupid! what is it people have against gaming, people spend more time in front of the TV and no says anything about that! What are the parents doing in all these case's? I can fix half these problems easy! There is no discipline, in the UK a teacher cannot tell a student off without fear of charged with child abuse and its the same for parents!, its impossible to tell a youngster these days the no means no. The stupid government has brought in so many laws giving youngsters more the power to do almost anything they want without fear. Theres the problem (in the UK), not video games.

You've got to laugh though

[NGTM-1R]

Moving my toothbrush to my computer was the best thing I ever did for my dental health.

[karajorma]

Ummmm. They're correct.

I've got to say that I eat far more snack food when playing games than watching TV, and certainly more than when not doing either of those two things. I doubt I'm the only one either. In fact the research pretty much proves that 12 to 16 year olds are doing exactly what I do.


I guess people are so used to ridiculous studies trying to blame computer games for everything without any actual evidence that when another one comes along everyone circles the wagons again and tries to repel the enemy without even stopping to consider that it might be correct. Ironically it's the same kind of stupid, knee-jerk reaction that gamers spend so much time insulting everyone else for having.

[Kosh]

[Pred the Penguin]

I actually can't stand bad dental health, but I'm weird about that among other things.
I can definitely see how eating more snacks can be bad, I compensate by brushing teeth more often.

[Klaustrophobia]

Ummmm. They're correct.

I've got to say that I eat far more snack food when playing games than watching TV, and certainly more than when not doing either of those two things. I doubt I'm the only one either. In fact the research pretty much proves that 12 to 16 year olds are doing exactly what I do.

I guess people are so used to ridiculous studies trying to blame computer games for everything without any actual evidence that when another one comes along everyone circles the wagons again and tries to repel the enemy without even stopping to consider that it might be correct. Ironically it's the same kind of stupid, knee-jerk reaction that gamers spend so much time insulting everyone else for having.

false.  playing video games does not MAKE you eat junk food or not brush your teeth.  that choice is still completely independent of whether or not you play video games.  i've seen this quote on these forums many many times by others:  correlation does not imply causation.

[NGTM-1R]

Ummmm. They're correct.

Again, I point out to you that you could, instead, move your toothbrush over to your computer and brush your teeth instead. I do.

[karajorma]

You could indeed.

I said they're correct. I didn't say that starbug's or CVG's misreading of what they said was correct. The paper itself probably gave a lot of suggestions. My issue is with people claiming that there can't possibly be a link between tooth decay and gaming. It's like claiming there isn't a link between heart disease and eating nothing but burgers cause thin people die of it too.

false.  playing video games does not MAKE you eat junk food or not brush your teeth.  that choice is still completely independent of whether or not you play video games.  i've seen this quote on these forums many many times by others:  correlation does not imply causation.

Pity you've seen it but never actually understood it then.

Researchers observed teenagers between 12 to 16 years of age and found that those who were addicted to computer games were more likely to suffer from tooth decay and caries compared to others.

What part of that is saying that playing games MAKES teenagers eat junk food?

What they are saying is that playing computer games does is put children in a situation where they will be in front of a screen for hours on end (far longer than they would be with a movie or TV program) and thus more likely to snack rather than getting a proper meal. They're saying that if the parents don't properly control what their kids eat they'll be far more likely to eat junk food while playing games than stopping to have a proper meal.

Dentists put out advisories like this all the time. "Don't drink carbonated drinks!" "Don't eat sweets between meals!" "Brush teeth at least twice a day!" But as soon as they make a comment about games suddenly it's part of some insidious plot against gaming. Sure this study doesn't mention TV but I'm willing to bet that several have. And it probably caused the same kind of ridiculous over-reaction that this one caused too.

This stuff is all actually pretty much common sense to anyone who stops to think about it.

They aren't saying computer games cause dental decay or any of the nonsense the gaming public make this out to be. They're saying that if you game you should be aware that snacking is putting your teeth at risk. The age group they tested suggests that they want to warn parents of the danger and make sure that they ensure their kids aren't risking their teeth.


The problem is that when gamers deny the possibility of a link between gaming and tooth decay even though anyone with half a brain can see that there is one it makes gamers less credible when we try to claim there isn't a link between gaming and violence. After all we shouted and jumped around the monkey house flinging poo at people who were quite obviously right. When we do it at people who aren't as obviously wrong it just makes us look like idiots who can't understand how the world works.

[Wolfy]

Eating junk food while playing video games and not brushing teeth = Bad Teeth

Eating junk food while writeing a report condemming video games and not brushing teeth = Bad Teeth

Eating junk food whille doing ANYTHING and forgetting to brush teeth = Bad Teeth

[Snail]

It doesn't apply to me anyway. I don't remember the last time I ate a snack in front of the computer or even in front of a TV.


So 's all good.

[iamzack]

"addicted to computer games"

isn't poor hygeine, like, the hallmark of addiction?

[ssmit132]

I suppose I sometimes snack while I'm on the computer (not always playing games either), however I don't always pick chocolates or sweets or chips or biscuits, sometimes I have muesli bars or fruit sticks or other stuff like that. But I don't think that's the point here.

I always make sure I brush my teeth at the start and end of the day for two minutes, though (I time it with my stopwatch ).

[Snail]

Well I think we need to decide whether or not it's a general trend or just the fact that people are being forced into snacking by computer games.

I still have structured meals.

[Goober5000]

I've never understood the need to eat while you're playing a computer game.  You're not even going to enjoy the food if your attention is focused on something else.  Eating is for eating time, and game playing is for game playing time.

Like Snail, I don't recall the last time I ate anything while enjoying entertainment.  The only exception is popcorn at a movie theater, and only because that's a cultural expectation.

[Wolfy]

I suppose I sometimes snack while I'm on the computer (not always playing games either), however I don't always pick chocolates or sweets or chips or biscuits, sometimes I have muesli bars or fruit sticks or other stuff like that. But I don't think that's the point here.

I always make sure I brush my teeth at the start and end of the day for two minutes, though (I time it with my stopwatch ).

You are brushing ALL your teeth dduring that 2 minutes right? i mean, just to make sure your not always brushing the one same tooth for 2 minutes every day and letting the others rot away   

[Pred the Penguin]

I hate eating popcorn at movies...

I do snack sometimes while I'm using the computer, barely ever when playing. I do drink a lot though, mostly juice so I guess I'm good there.

[Mongoose]

I'm kind of wondering how people could possibly eat more snacks while playing games than while watching TV, since the former generally requires that both hands be continuously occupied, while the latter leaves both free.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

See now the problem here is the pop.  Need to get them to drink beer while playing. 

[headdie]

See now the problem here is the pop.  Need to get them to drink beer while playing. 

beer belly anyone????

[Wolfy]

See now the problem here is the pop.  Need to get them to drink beer while playing. 

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