Joe Rogan, a comedian and podcaster famous for extremely successful The Joe Rogan Experience, has clarified his critical comments about gaming in a recent episode with a former Counter-Strike pro.
Last year, Rogan said that he views gaming as a "waste of time" and a pursuit that directionless children and young people are drawn towards.
"Video games are a real problem," he started while speaking to fitness guru Joe De Sena. "They're a real problem. You know why? Because they're f***ing fun. They're [addictive], I have a real problem with them. You do them, and they're real exciting, but you don't get anywhere."
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He continued to compare gaming to martial arts, adding that the effort expended on martial arts provides a tangible result, like opening a gym to train others. On the other hand, Rogan argued that spending years and years gaming doesn't offer any material benefits. Naturally, these comments sparked ire from multiple members of the industry, including Richard Tyler "Ninja" Blevins who claimed Rogan "doesn't really understand" the value of gaming. The podcaster has a lot of controversy surrounding his opinions, such as his call for young adults to reject the coronavirus vaccine and that the virus is "not statistically dangerous" to children.
In the most recent episode released on June 11, Rogan interviewed former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert, and expanded upon why he dislikes gaming.
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"I can't have the video games," said Rogan. "That, to me, is like protecting my children against wolves. It becomes this obsessive thing where it's like, I've got to protect the tribe. You get locked into these goddamn games because they're so exciting." He described himself as possessing a propensity for gaming for very long periods of time, and that this factor contributed to him quitting the hobby. Rogan enjoyed Quake and appeared in EA Sports UFC, EA Sports UFC 2 and EA Sports UFC 3 as himself.
"I wish I wasn't such a simpleton because if I could f**king just play for like one hour and stop... I cannot," elaborated the podcaster. "Because, at one hour, I start getting a better feel of where my cursor's going, when I'm moving the mouse around. I get a better understanding of strafe jumping and where to aim with my rail gun, can't do it. I'm too dumb. I get too excited. I get too locked in."
Recently, Electronic Arts has enabled players to see what is inside the Ultimate Team packs on FIFA 21 before they purchase them. The relationship between loot boxes and gambling issues has been "robustly" proven in a number of studies, so it is hoped that this change will prevent people from spending too much money on these virtual goods.
Featured Image Credit: EA, Joe Rogan via YouTube