A new study reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says people are leaving outdoor activities behind. The culprit? Well, video games of course.
In fairness, the study does not blame video games alone, but “sedentary, indoor videophilia.” So, basically anything enjoyed in front of a television or computer monitor. Camping, fishing, and visitors to parks have all seen declines-between 18-25% since the 1980s. There was a slight bump in the percentage of day hikes, but researchers wrote that off to campers being converted down to day hikers.
Where do video games come into play? While potentially no more of a time suck than any other video activity, video games have spent the same period of time as the study trying to recreate the great outdoors. Consider the success of casual outdoors titles such as the Sega Bass Fishing series. Granted, PETA and other organizations may be pleased that fewer people are going fishing, but the outcome is fewer kids feel the need to see an actual fish (fish sticks do not count). The virtual kind is easier to see, easier to catch, and there’s generally a lot less mess. Plus, who’d want to get too far from their Cheez-Its?
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