Why men have to conquer the xbox

May 27, 2008, 5:23 AM

Apparently this is why there are more male than female gamers. I just found it amusing. It's in the paper today

I have to say though, I have had my obsessions with my consoles since I was a nipper, although I'm convinced I should have been a man anyway....

I always knew you were all neanderthals

Quote:

He might be playing with cutting-edge technology, but when a chap picks up a games console he turns into a caveman.
Playing, and particularly winning, most high-tech games activates parts of the male brain which are linked to the primitive desire to conquer, say scientists.
And that is why men tend to become more obsessed than women with the latest release for the Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360.

Will to win: Men tend to be more obsessed than women the latest computer games
In the first study of its type, scientists wired up a series of men and women to an MRI scanner while they played a video game.
This enabled the researchers to monitor the players' brain activity as they tried to win onscreen territory by clicking on a series of balls.
Professor Allan Reiss, who led the research, said women got the hang of the game and understood how to win the most territory, but were not as driven as men.

'The males were just a lot more motivated to succeed,' he added.

After analysing the MRI data, the researchers found participants of both sexes showed activation in the brain's mesocorticolimbic centre, the region typically associated with reward and addiction.

Male brains, however, showed much greater activation. The amount increased as they gained more territory.

Winning hi-tech games, such as Grand Theft Auto IV, activates parts of the brain that are linked to the desire to conquer, claims Dr Reiss
Three structures within the reward circuit - the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex - were also shown to influence each other much more in men than in women, the scientists wrote in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

And the better connected this circuit was, the better males performed in the game.
Dr Reiss added: 'These gender differences might help explain why males are more attracted to, and more likely to become "hooked" on, video games than females.
'I think it's fair to say that males tend to be more intrinsically territorial. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who historically are the conquerors and tyrants of our species.'
Dr Reiss, of Stanford University in California, said the research also suggested males are more likely to feel rewarded by computer games.

May 27, 2008, 5:36 AM

I cba to read ALL of that, but yes, I play to win dammit >=[ what's the point in playing if you aren't determined to succeed at it? Of course, I don't go apeshit when I cannot conquer a certain game (*cough*FFTactics*cough*), so I consider myself a bit more evolved than the neandrothalic men out there.

May 27, 2008, 5:37 AM

Actually Neanderthals had bigger brains than we do.

Also it doesn't say how many people were tested, You'd have to use a larga amount to ensure that the results were accurate.

May 27, 2008, 6:06 AM

They probably used afew business women and a bunch of crazy young men. Bet they didn't test a single girl that liked games anyway

I get quite agitated when I can't beat a game *looks at KH* I get so worked up sometimes its ridiculous, Il also have a screaming fit at the tv if it gets the better of me or if I win

I also sulk if I lose when Im playing against someone or gloat if I win

Article just amused me

May 27, 2008, 6:48 AM

I don't know how to classify myself, but I do feel happy when I beat a hard boss or I obtain rare items or get the final weapons and ultimately beat the game.

Although I'm not into GTA, so I think for that particular game, if I was tested, I wouldn't be very motivated. Yeah, I would try to beat it; but if I'm not into it, I think that would affect the scans in some way

May 27, 2008, 7:00 AM

I don't see the point in this article. Isn't winning/success the point of anything and everything?
Is he trying to imply that men are more likely to succeed than woman because men are more determined?
If so, this might explain why there are more successful men in the world than women, a big blow to feminists.(Glad I'm a man)

May 27, 2008, 7:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BalambFish

I don't see the point in this article. Isn't winning/success the point of anything and everything?
Is he trying to imply that men are more likely to succeed than woman because men are more determined?
If so, this might explain why there are more successful men in the world than women, a big blow to feminists.(Glad I'm a man)

Well, that's one way to look at it, but it could also mean that guys are far more into gaming and make more of an effort rather than in real life, where as it's the opposite of women

Again, it's not very reliable stats though.

May 27, 2008, 7:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BalambFish

If so, this might explain why there are more successful men in the world than women, a big blow to feminists.(Glad I'm a man)

No. it's not, I could list you millions of reasons why it isn't, but I won't.

Also winning isn't the main thing, people play games/sport because it's fun. Winning and fun may be linked to a certain extent, but they aren't the same thing. You can get enjoyment from something and still lose.
Also this study is about games, not Irl, ergo any attempt to relate his findings to real life are flawed.

May 27, 2008, 12:55 PM

Half-true, but it depends.

I'd say I'm determined to progress through games that I find interesting, but for others, I won't be so driven to succeed. I'm normally driven most by an interesting story and more weapons, items, levelling up, new challenges etc. Once I've found all those, beaten hard bosses/levels, etc, and know the storyline, it can become boring, but not always. It's true for girls, too. And I wouldn't say that I'm the sort of macho, "alpha male" type myself.