Why do more men than women like to play (violent) video games? Professor Allan Reiss of Stanford University found out that it's all about their urge to conquer and vanquish:
In the study, published recently in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, scientists wired up a series of men and women to an MRI scanner while they played a video game, which involved competing to win on-screen territory by clicking on a series of balls.
After analysing the MRI data, the researchers found participants showed activation in the brain's mesocorticolimbic centre, the region typically associated with reward and addiction.
Male brains, however, showed much greater activation, and the amount increased as they gained more territory. This was not the case with women.
Any other studies are just wasting time.
I think the obvious result of this is (most) "Men are territorial and competitive".
And we like toys. :D
Must be it.
I'm sure they properly controlled for gaming history and cultural factors that may have an impact on the way we view the world. I'm sure.
Please, Neatorama... please... I come here to be stimulated, not insulted with preliminary studies whose conclusions are blown out of proportion.
Just for the record, men are taller than women. While there are obvious exceptions, if you argue with that statement, you're just a giant, giant, giant, niggling twat.
this study just reaffirms that society raises your kids more than you do. boys are encouraged to be competetive even before they're born when they're given baby athletic gear and tonka toys. they are socialized to get used to settings outside of the house while girls are socialized to be domestic. just look at childrens' toys. "boy" toys are cars, trucks, GI Joes, electronics, gizmos and gadgets. "girl" toys are dolls, paints, and an EZ-Bake oven. when these same boys and girls grow up, these same behaviors are more strongly encouraged in many more influential settings and by more influential people (peers, teachers, the media). it's no DUH boys enjoy more competitive gaming than girls, because it has been driven into their brains to do so.
i'm a female, and i'm a huge gamer. i hate sports, i hate competition, and i REALLY hate socially constructed expectations of people based on their sex organs. but i love sawing dudes in half with my chainsaw rifle on gears2, and it has nothing to do with my gender.
so basically, this study is bunk and i'm glad the rest of you think the same. happy new year everyone!
Oh ya, kinda forgot to mention I'm a female gamer too. A few of my favorite games include F.E.A.R. perseus mandate, half life 2, prey, and doom 3... There is absolutely no study than can prove that I don't enjoy my games as much as if not more than some guy next to me. The only reason why there are more men playing video games is because of the fact that most women are simply not raised and expected to take a liking to such things. I feel sorta bad for them, they're missing out.
What I'm saying here is that these are generalizations. Of course it's not true for 100% of people, and CERTAINLY less probably for females who are into computers. And, of course, not you, female gamer neatorama poster. ;)
As time goes on, it seems more and more women are getting into gaming, which is cool. I think that lends credence to 'nurture' vs nature, as far as liking gamaing. But right now, I'd have to say that is seems more men do, in fact, enjoy gaming than women. Generally.
Arden, you're like a tall woman who hears a professor claim height is a morphological sex difference and decides to point out you're taller than he is. (And interrupts class, and everyone wishes you would just shut up.)
I am 5' 10", so there are lots of women taller than I am. I am also not that good at video games, so you are probably a lot better. I'm also very bad at tennis, so what? It doesn't matter. The study still shows what the study shows.
I wasn't pointing to my male genitalia, afraid they would be removed because of electronic inadequacy. I was just pointing out that statements like yours ignore obvious conclusions in the search for self-righteous indignation.
As a fellow female gamer, I just want to point out to my sisters that there is no point in getting all rilled up about this study. I mean, A) It's just one little study, and B) Who gives a fuck? Now I've got to get back to the games.
Well how exactly how did you come to the conclusion that I was blaming the way we were raised for our height? I was still talking about why less of us are gamers at that point. Judging from your reply I guess you didn't even read my entire post and decided all I was doing is stating that I'm a tall girl. Geez.
Yeah yeah and I know, who gives a fuck. I just found it pretty ridiculous. Heh, next they're gonna come up with another pointless and stupid study to try to show why women like shoes or something more than men, or why people seem to think women like yogurt more than men do. According the all the yogurt commercials anyway, guys apparently hate yogurt lol.
XD