More than a quarter of gamers choose to fib to their families about how long they spend gaming compared to other pursuits, according to this recently published survey.
Let's get this out of the way, first and foremost: we've all been there. Who here hasn't shoved the Nintendo DS hastily under their pillow and pretended to be asleep when our parents trudged past the door? One Christmas Eve, I played the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider all night long, and I tell you what, I didn't foresee the issues that total exhaustion and migraines would cause me on the (unofficial) longest day of the year. And, I did it again literally just this weekend, when my boyfriend and I were sipping ciders and playing God of War. Oops. It's 2.30am.
Realistically speaking, though, this is an aspect that children and young people believe to be a thorny subject. In a collaboration between Kaspersky and Savanta, more than 5,000 respondents across 17 countries were queried on their habits and how they perceive their parents' reaction to gaming. 27% of those people claimed that they hide how much time they spend gaming from their parents, and this choice is motivated by shame.
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The most prominent reason behind telling little white lies when it comes to the hobby is that their parents think that it's to the detriment of their health. Sure, sitting down for a four hour Warzone sesh without stretching regularly or ensuring you're properly hydrated isn't going to do your body any favours. Plus, there are exergames like Jump Rope Challenge, Ring Fit Adventure, Fitness Boxing, Just Dance, the list goes on.
However, there are a lot of benefits to immersing yourself in a virtual world, like improving your spatial visualisation skills and hand-eye coordination, reducing your stress and anxiety levels, and even boosting your confidence. Furthermore, we're in a whole pandemic, and children aren't able to play outdoors with their friends like they used to. Cut the kids some slack, eh?
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Half of the respondents feel that if their parents engaged with gaming and their favourite games, their relationship would be healthier. In order to facilitate this, Kaspersky has invited three parents who either enjoy gaming or are close to the gaming industry to impart their experiences. They are Anne Fish, mum to Fortnite pro Benjyfishy, Keza MacDonald, who is the video games editor for The Guardian, and Ruth Payne, mum to one of the Sidemen, Behzinga.
"Gaming has provided huge support to many this year; offering solace, relief and friendship in difficult times," said Andrew Winton, vice president of marketing at Kaspersky. "But for many families, the negative perceptions of gaming can be very counter-productive in enabling open dialogue and building relationships. We hope that the wise words from these mums will help others start to have better and more positive conversations between gamers and parents."
Featured Image Credit: Anton Porsche from Pexels, UbisoftTopics: News