We've all heard those persistent rumors from politicians and others who are simply jealous because they're not making the big bucks. You know: "Video games cause violence." "Video games cause brain destruction." In today's Coyote's Howling, resident pundit Coyote Sharptongue debunks the most persistent myths. Keep reading!

The problem with this is; these myths simply aren’t true. They’re tired, old, media-driven clichés and they need to go away once and for all, so that we can focus on the real issues that affect all of us, like how the fat kid from Superbad looks really weird in those Modern Warfare commercials.

Read more Coyote's Howling: Debunking Gaming Myths.

Oh my... *feels sorry for Origin*

Outstanding article! I loved it from start to finish. Really well done, and rings true in a lot of ways. Bravo, sir!

Speak on it ese, odelay holmes!!!!

Per the addiction portion, if someone is addicted to video games, it's because they have an addictive personality. If video games weren't available to them, they would be addicted to gambling, or TV, or some other form of entertainment to lose themselves in and shut out the rest of the world.

Originally posted by sacredfool

Oh my... *feels sorry for Origin*

 

A real gamer would never, ever, feel sorry for Origin...you must be an EA plant!!!

=p

Originally posted by Squiggie

Originally posted by sacredfool

Oh my... *feels sorry for Origin*

 

A real gamer would never, ever, feel sorry for Origin...you must be an EA plant!!!

=p

 

" Men see the video game model of “perfection” and think… “Oh yeah. I totally look like that. "

And if anyone doubts this, go to a CON.

Excellent journalism Coy!

Why should EA apologise to Steam when it was Steam trying to force EA's hand as the sole digital distibutor for game DLC that shot them in the foot anyway ?

EA tried to protect consumers and give them freedom of choice on where to buy the game and future DLC and due to people within the industry who havent done their homework EA comes out as the bad man.

Otherwise great read :)

I love how people won't bat an eye telling someone they're addicted to video games, and will then go off and sink every God damned waking hour into updating their fantasy sports roster, reading up on player stats, and talking their friends ears off about new up and comers for a game that would be otherwise meaningless if we didn't pay people millions of dollars to be good at it.

Hypocrits.

yes, videogame lead to obesity cause after being 8 hours at work you go home and use all your spare time playing in a computer.

Go outside and do some exercise you fatty!!

Love the article LOL "absolutely no fat content whatsoever" :P

I'm living proof that playing video games doesn't lead to obesity because recently i changed my diet to exclude all yeast bread switching to tortillas and rice cakes only. With no exercise in 1 month i lost 35 lbs and i play 3 MMO's. TAKE THAT rumor mill!

As always, a very insightful article.  My thanks to you Sir Coyote for bringing to light the important and discussion worthy topics.

Some of the WoW myths are actually in fact true, take this recent rape charge that resulted from players chatting on WoW.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_north_pinellas/tarpon_springs/world-of-warcraft-chat-leads-to-rape-charge

great article so true.

I suspect that guy had problems way before he started WoW or that if it wasn't WoW it could have been some other activity where he could have contact with minors that would have gotten him into trouble.

I love the article and about the puzzle game thing. Reminds me of all the jokes about the Konami code in games. Up down up down left right left right a b start or whatever. I swear one game had a code where it seemed I had to hit so many buttons I had to use both hands and a foot to make it work. No way a fat guy could pull that off.

Originally posted by Illyssia

Some of the WoW myths are actually in fact true, take this recent rape charge that resulted from players chatting on WoW.

 

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_north_pinellas/tarpon_springs/world-of-warcraft-chat-leads-to-rape-charge

 

 

 

No Illyssia, that rape charge did not result from players chatting on WoW.  It resulted from the guy in question being a scumbag rapist.  WoW was merely the place where he found his victim.  If he had found her in a park, it wouldn't mean that the park attracts rapists.  If he had found her at a petting zoo, it wouldn't mean that the petting zoo attracts rapists.  So don't insinuate that MMOs attract rapists just because he found her in an MMO.

It's awful that online games have become yet another hunting ground for predators, but the problem is the predators, not the online games.  Evil douchebags like Spoonster make up a tiny minority of the human race, but a few of them can be found in every environment we inhabit and every social group we create.  They're in schools, churches, hosptials, offices, truck stops, goldfish farms, roadside taco stands - and yes, in MMOs.  They show up whereever they think they can find a victim; their presnece in online games is no more surprising or meaningful than their presence in malls or theme parks.

When a crime like this is committed, the blame lies 100% with the criminal and 0% with anyone or anything else.  Period.

The objectification of women in games is not a myth. The basis behind it, however, is. Games help perpetualize already existing issues, but no more than TV, media, fashion or pretty much anything else. The objectification is merely a symptom in this case. A marketing ploy. It's not the games' fault that it works. It does not, however, mean that it's irrelevant.

Statistics for this comes across my desk all day long. Most languages being male in their foundation is a significantly larger factor than games - for an interesting read on that topic, google Láadan, off topic as it may be.

My little brother is a former meth addict who has been clean now for several years.  He swears to this day that quitting meth was easier than quitting WoW. (Which he has tried to do many, many times)

Fantastic article!