Gaming - cause or effect of poor results?

Today, while reading the papers, I came across this article with the title - 'Long hours on the computer linked to poor results: Poll'

Well, they linked long hours to poor results, that meaning, academic results. But what I found consistently missing in the article and subsequent 'study' was the lack of description of the condition the gamers were in before they were classified as 'addicted'. There is no reason one who spends time on the computer would improve his results if the time spent were playing games. Just as if I tried to read English books to improve my maths. It is a moot point actually, to state that long hours on the computer is linked to poor results. And this brings us to my next point.

Computer games are created to be fun, and through fun, it is to transport the player into an alternate reality with different rules which he must play by to 'win'. Developers consistently seek to create engaging game worlds for the player to escape into. Therefore, games are actually a portal to escape the reality of life, it is true across the board, the sense of immersion only being more or less. It is also true, for many developing manuals, that the developer must 'create an engaging game world to provide a total immersion for the player'.

So establishing that game worlds are fantasies that people may escape to, it can be consistently found that students, those that play these games tend to be of poorer academic results as compared to this counterparts. What is it that draws these students to these games? It is the alternate reality which it provides for these students to escape, even if for a moment, from the stresses of life. To talk about it in the opposite way round, who would buy a game which is harder than life itself? Games are made to be possible for the player to win, and thus feel satisfied. When they are satisfied, most players would continue playing the game for that satisfaction and the cycle repeats. If they do not succeed in real life, they at least my succeed in-game.

Taking an excellent student, he or she, it may be found, will most likely to be found to spend less time on the computer than others. Those that perform well in school have less reason to escape reality if life is fulfilling in itself.

Therefore, gaming is an effect of poor results and not a cause, as much studies claim, for they do no formal report on the student's ability before they start playing games.

(Argument fix up pending)

-Cap'n Mook.