What is video games scapegoated for now?

Giving kids cancer.

This is just getting retarded now, I mean cancer really?

This reminds me of the time when somebody declared that using laptops to surf the Internet is somehow contributing to global warming and depletion of the ozone layer...
I still don't get how that is supposed to make any sense even after like 4 years since I first read about it.

We already know video games are the prime cause of obesity, ADHD, road rage, acne, hemmaroids, premature ejaculation and global terrorism. Why shouldn't they also be responsible for childhood cancer?

Where went the good old days when you can blame the Jews for everything.

GreyGhost said:

We already know video games are the prime cause of obesity, ADHD, road rage, acne, hemmaroids, premature ejaculation and global terrorism. Why shouldn't they also be responsible for childhood cancer?

Can we expand more of this? I think we're not really listed all of them. And call to some tabloid to scrape more news about "[negative effect] By Videogames".

Well, to be fair, sitting on your ass all day and being on a gamer's/coder's diet IS a health risk, potentially including cancer, but that's probably something they won't find out until they're, like, 50 or 60, so who cares.

Right and next thing you know my labtop will actually gives me testicular cancer about 15 to 20 years from now.

Video games are responsible for the holocaust.

Philnemba said:

Right and next thing you know my labtop will actually gives me testicular cancer about 15 to 20 years from now.

If it's a MacBook it'll cook your nuts.

Philnemba said:

Right and next thing you know my labtop will actually gives me testicular cancer about 15 to 20 years from now.

That can only be guaranteed to happen if you keep placing it on your lap whenever you use it.
But for me a laptop is actually a "desktop" or "tabletop" because whenever I use it then it is always located on either a desk or a table of some kind. So the radiation from the battery pack is actually going into a piece of wood or plastic rather than into my testicles. :p
And I've also made an excellent choice by quitting my studying for an IT Management degree and transferring to a Tourism & Hospitality diploma instead. Because this way I won't be sitting on my ass to absorb gamma rays 24/7. I'll only be doing it on the evenings.

"Tablets found to contain bacteria responsible for liver failure, AIDS, lung collapse, Black Friday stampedes and possibly bad breath"

While we're on the subject of bacteria - hands up everyone who cleans their keyboard and mouse at least once a week.

CorSair said:

Can we expand more of this? I think we're not really listed all of them. And call to some tabloid to scrape more news about "[negative effect] By Videogames".

Working on it. First have to dig out some "research" of dubious value (or fabricate it) for some blog pages, post anecdotal evidence here and there under various pseudonyms then create a Wikipedia page to pull it all together and lend it authority. ;-)

188DarkRevived said:

gamma rays

If that's the case, using the laptop on a wood or plastic table makes little difference since most of the radiation will pass straight through.

GreyGhost said:

If that's the case, using the laptop on a wood or plastic table makes little difference since most of the radiation will pass straight through.

Yes, we're all guilty of exposing ourselves to it even by simply coming to post here. But at least I'm making an effort to do healthy things away from it for the slightly larger chunk of the day. Meh.

188DarkRevived said:

Yes, we're all guilty of exposing ourselves to it even by simply coming to post here. But at least I'm making an effort to do healthy things away from it for the slightly larger chunk of the day. Meh.

There are no gamma rays emitting from your computer. Your machine does give off low amounts of EM radiation, however.

Mirror

Stopped reading there. You should too.

DoomUK said:

Stopped reading there. You should too.

I went one better and stopped after British tabloid

188DarkRevived said:

Yes, we're all guilty of exposing ourselves to it even by simply coming to post here. But at least I'm making an effort to do healthy things away from it for the slightly larger chunk of the day. Meh.

Computers don't emit ionizing radiation. They won't destroy your balls or anything else (unless you have a radioactive computer).

The reason you want to keep a laptop off your lap is because the heat kills your sperm. Your balls need to be cooler than the rest of you to keep your sperm alive and well, which is why they hang in a vulnerable position in the first place. The effect is temporary (unless you burn yourself somehow) and removing the heat will have your sperm back to normal in a few days.

You'll notice that computer makers, especially the big ones, don't call them laptops anymore. They're always called notebooks. They want you to keep them off your lap.

Fair enough. Those points make sense. I'm glad that using computers overall is quite safe. They are quite important to me, actually. But the reason why I reserve and moderate my usage of them is just because I want to take full advantage of being alive in a world filled with numerous activities.

Aliotroph? said:

Computers don't emit ionizing radiation.

Actually, that was a semi-valid concern up to...uhmm....20 years ago, when most computer monitors were little more than repurposed (or actual) TVs, which were not really designed to be used at text-reading distances, and some of the radiation they emitted WAS, in fact, ionizing.

Who can forget, there was a whole host of articles and warnings on "monitor radiation" and the associated health risks, and a flourishing market for "monitor radiation shields" (essentially, a grounded, thin plate of polarized lead glass to mount in front of your monitor).

But already in the 90s, most PC SVGA monitors were "low radiation" (yes, I'm talking about the CRT ones here), and I've only seen such "filters" being used on shit-old amber monitors or on Amiga/Atari ST monitors (which really were just TVs without modulators...).

Edit: I'm surprised they are still sold. What the heck? O_o

To be fair however, I find LCD monitors more tiring to use all day than CRTs. The reason? They release a lot of their waste heat through their viewable portions (the screen), and that does take a toll on the eyes after a while (it's like staring at a lightbulb: even a low wattage one will feel uncomfortable after a while if only for the direct, radiating heat). CRTs got hotter, but the heat was mostly converted into hot air....

Maes said:

Who can forget, there was a whole host of articles and warnings on "monitor radiation" and the associated health risks, and a flourishing market for "monitor radiation shields" (essentially, a grounded, thin plate of polarized lead glass to mount in front of your monitor).

I had one of those radiation screens over my tube monitor, back in the day.

That's not a radiation filter. It appears to be trying to duplicate those screen filters used on some ATMs.

I can't see how the waste heat from your LCD is bugging your eyes. I don't get that effect with mine and I sit much closer to my screens than most people. The effect is also much less than just being in a warm room even when I can feel the heat from a screen. I suspect LCDs are tiring for lots of people because staring into light sources always is, and maybe because the colour balance is weird to eyes.

I find LCDs better for my eyes and my brain than CRTs. I can see the flicker in CRTs at 60 Hz. It makes watching them uncomfortable for me. 50 Hz PAL TVs are completely unusable for me; it's like looking at a strobe light.

Aliotroph? said:

That's not a radiation filter. It appears to be trying to duplicate those screen filters used on some ATMs.

No, they were.

That's just messed up. I see the story has changed to non-ionizing radiation being a risk. Might as well just wear a tinfoil hat if that's the case.

Technician said:

No, they were.

"Why take chances? Many older CRT screens give off a small amount of electromagnetic radiation. Research has identified potential health hazards from long-term exposure to non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation in the extremely low frequency (ELF) and very low frequency (VLF) range.

3M™ Privacy Filters block up to 99.9% of ELF/VLF E-field radiation plus reduce static and dust buildup, when properly grounded."

Haven't seen one of those for decades. I think the cheaper models were basically just a sheet of metallized film (similar to what's used in antistatic bags) mounted in a plastic frame, others used a very fine wire mesh with some sort of non-reflective coating. The wire mesh might be moderately effective at blocking ELF/VLF radiation (that translates into subsonic to low-ultrasonic), but I'm not so sure about the other. I also have my doubts about the health risks posed by electromagnetic radiation where you're dealing with wavelengths of 10 kilometres or more. Should I be wrapping tinfoil around every length of mains wiring in the house and wear a portable Faraday shield when I go outdoors?

Aliotroph? said:

That's not a radiation filter. It appears to be trying to duplicate those screen filters used on some ATMs.

Well, some of the cheaper ones were not that, indeed (and if you notice, 3M is very careful in their wording).

Aliotroph? said:

I can't see how the waste heat from your LCD is bugging your eyes. I don't get that effect with mine and I sit much closer to my screens than most people.

YMMV with each different screen. E.g. my newest laptop's (Dell Inspiron 1720) screen is quite cool, while my older one's (Compaq Presario 910 EA from 2002) is quite hot. Different backlight technologies: CFL vs LED, for one. Some of them DO emit quite a lot of heat from their visible panel, and that's annoying regardless of perceived luminosity.

Aliotroph? said:

50 Hz PAL TVs are completely unusable for me; it's like looking at a strobe light.

Ah, you're one of the unlucky "Golden Eyes" boys. I bet arguing with you about FPS in games must be fun ;-)

The reason I can see screen (and mains-connected LEDs) flicker is because the centres of my retinas are fried. I'm using peripheral vision to see anything. I'm used to games with fairly low fps, thoug. The hardcore guys who won't play anything under 60 fps never find an ally in me. I'd rather play slower-paced games with prettier graphics and more exploration.

Technician said:

Video games are responsible for the holocaust.

If it's a MacBook it'll cook your nuts.

LOL - Yea Mac Books get pretty damn hot! Though im pretty sure the plastic will go brittle and fall to bits exposing the insides before you are fully cooked! Apple will just say its a minor 'Hair line crack' though *rolls eyes*

this explains my third arm...

When i was 17 standing in line at EB Games, a lady came in and demanded a full refund claiming that Ninja Gaiden gave her son asthma.

Not triggered but GAVE her son the asthma.

mrthejoshmon said:

this explains my third arm...

What about a third leg? ;-)

Maes said:

What about a third leg? ;-)

had that for a long time, I think I got it from the harmful radiation of the washing machine :D