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Absolutely, there's definitely folks who were already not good at socializing turning to video games. Buuut, I think the cheapness, ubiquity and quality have all improved so much that it has become a much easier alternative than it was in the past.
Like, if you lower the price of cigarettes, many who smoke those cheaper smokes would have smoked anyway. But as the price drops, it's easier for those marginal smokers to continue to do so and for new ones to start. (You had to be pretty dedicated to suffer through Ultima VI etc.)
And the timing also kind of makes sense; for the last couple of decades there's been a marked decrease in teenagers and young adults having sex. I assume part is the ubiquity of porn but I can't imagine teenagers are just getting less horny...
Why not?
Never thought about it like that! It's probably just like how so many under 30s living with their parents these days isn't a sign of distress, they probably just love their parents more than every other generation!
What fascinating insights you have.
I asked "why not?" to a specific assertion. Teenagers getting less horny. I think it's entirely reasonable that this is the case, now that we have endocrine disrupting chemicals being dumped into the environment.
Yes, people not having money to spend don't go out as much. That is not the fault of videogames, that is the fault of capitalism and pollution.
The decline in teenage sex is very recent (last couple of decades) whereas endocrine disrupting chemicals have been dumped for decades and decades prior to that.
This seems like realllllllly motivated reasoning on your part.
Okay. So if videogames are to blame, why are videogames so special? Why didn't this collapse when books became cheap and available? That's a solo hobby. Why didn't it collapse when cards became available? Plenty of solo cars games.
Also, data shows that sperm counts have been dropping since the 70s, and native birthrates have been below replacement since the 80s. It's not a recent trend at all, it's just that people are starting to notice.
Do you read as much as you game? Do you really think most people find books and video games equally appealing?
You're conflating fertility and teens having sex.
The drop off in teen sex is way more recent than either of those, started in the last decade or two.
This really seems like ever more frantic motivated reasoning.
I read more than I game.
You know, accusing someone that disagrees with you of participating in bad faith once is one thing. Accusing them of participating in bad faith and desperation makes me think you once gave someone an ultimatum to pick between videogames and you, and you got dumped as a result.
Maybe you should calm down. (See?)