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Research group releases sobering report about freshmen, video games and studying

By Chloe Jean Park, assistant news editor
Posted on September 17, 2007

According to a study published by a research institution, freshmen whose roommates have a video game system study an average of 40 minutes less per day than freshmen without a system. This reduction in study time resulted in a 0.241 grade decline on a 4-point scale.

Assistant professor of sociology Ben Brewer said the study, by the National Bureau of Economic Research, was interesting, but not because of the actual content of what students are doing.

“It’s the structural function that gaming plays in peoples’ lives that produces isolation, adulation, disengagement from things that they should be doing like going to class or building human social connections,” he said.

Freshman Andy Suddarth’s roommate brought a video game system from home, and while Suddarth personally does not find it to be distraction, he agrees with the results of the study.

“My suitemates are always playing and I see them missing work,” he said.

He has a video game system at home, but Suddarth is only a casual player, playing one or two hours a week.

“I probably wouldn’t have brought a system if my roommate didn’t,” Suddarth said. Now that he knows about the study, he will "probably be more conscious about getting my studying done before playing video games.”

Freshman Jacob Willis does not have a video-game system in his dorm room, but his neighbors are avid players.

“When I’m trying to study, I can hear the people next door [playing video games],” Willis said. “My neighbors always have 'Guitar Hero' going. It’s a distraction because of the volume because they play it so loudly.”

However, Willis said that he understands gamers’ enthusiasm.

“I used to have a system, but I gave it away because it was becoming too big a distraction for me,” Willis said.

Willis said he used to “binge-game,” playing six to eight hours at a time.

The results of the study are “surprising, but not unreasonable,” he said. “I think a lot of it has to be the volume.”

Brewer questioned the ambiguity and validity of the study, but he said the reputation of the NBER remains respectable.

“The NBER is a reputable institution. [The authors of the study are] doing what they can do with the complexities of the real world,” Brewer said.

He appreciated the insight the study provided for professors as well.

“So quiet frankly, I wouldn’t presume to really be able to make any general claim of what’s going on or what’s causing [these distractions],” Brewer said. “These kinds of studies are actually useful, because they get behind [the student-professor] curtain a little bit more.”