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FCC Commissioner claims WoW causes college drop-outs
There's no doubt that MMOs have changed the face of online gaming as we know it today. The immense success of World of Warcraft demonstrates this and the game has often been the target of studies surrounding people and online gaming. Interestingly, claims about the dangers of online gaming addiction are spreading even further, with an FCC Commissioner making the bold claim that MMOs, and WoW in particular, have increased the college drop-out rate in the U.S.
We all see many sensationalist claims being made about games, and we all probably remember the sometimes-amusing antics of Jack Thompson. It’s rather perplexing, however, to have someone in such a high position make these claims. If there is any evidence to back up the claims that the FCC Commissioner made, they weren't cited – and you can certainly expect some outcry from the gaming community regarding this.
This could lead to interesting battles between educators, gamers and gaming companies. Should the FCC even be making any assertions regarding people's computer use? I would very much like to see a Blizzard response to these statements.
We all see many sensationalist claims being made about games, and we all probably remember the sometimes-amusing antics of Jack Thompson. It’s rather perplexing, however, to have someone in such a high position make these claims. If there is any evidence to back up the claims that the FCC Commissioner made, they weren't cited – and you can certainly expect some outcry from the gaming community regarding this.
This could lead to interesting battles between educators, gamers and gaming companies. Should the FCC even be making any assertions regarding people's computer use? I would very much like to see a Blizzard response to these statements.
User Comments (9)
Post a comment| danthok on December 12, 2008 2:21 PM | Man I am getting sick of all these negative reports about
gaming. It all comes out to self-control! If you choose to
play WoW instead of study or go to class, yes you are going
to fail and yes it is only a matter of time till you drop
out. It is just like the government blaming fast-food for obesity. People choose to eat that crap therefore choose to become obese. Video games have many more positive than negative effects. Sorry had to get that off my chest.....
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| eddie_42 on December 12, 2008 2:44 PM | Amen!! A few people fail at life and all the sudden its a wide pandemic. Lets all point fingers and shift blame so we don't have to take any responsibility for our actions.
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| old101 on December 12, 2008 9:57 PM | Agree with previous two comments. Students drop out because
the are either stupid, lazy or both. True now and probably
eight hundred years ago when the first universities opened.
If the rate of dropouts is increasing the cause is more
likely that the parents and the society generally is less
demanding, and more forgiving of failure.
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| benken2202001 on December 12, 2008 11:23 PM | This is an article from NBC about a college professor (one
that i actually had). Its a good
read. [link] Prof. Roger Travis has also taken to the masses on his own with the "Video Games and Human Values Initiative" http://vghvinet.ning.com/ Wher e the community can respond and correspond about all sorts of ideas generated by video games and MMOs in general. [Edited by benken2202001 on 2008-12-12 23:29:17]
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| rodneyatvisnet on December 12, 2008 11:30 PM | If they really wanna stop college drop out accross the world
why not make greater insentives for completing courses. What
do you get attached to your degree when you complete, a
large college debt. If i had the choice between being broke
with a degree or well off and play games . . .simple choice
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| Nirkon on December 13, 2008 1:07 AM | To be honest, I wouldn't be to surprised if its true...
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| supersmashbrada on December 15, 2008 3:14 AM | I'm not going to say much, but I know at least 20 people
that didnt make it through college because of games. Yes it
has a large part to do with discipline, but you cant deny
the fact that these mmo's are making this happen
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| KingDingDong on December 15, 2008 9:00 AM | I agree, I had two college roomies that both dropped out
becuase they never went to class. There was numerous times
they would both play WOW for 12 hours in a row.....If you
ask me thats messed up.
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| Serag on December 16, 2008 9:04 AM | FCC is Damn right about MMO's..especially
WoW... Blizzard is offering more Addictive content day after day,,
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