Adults who are addicted to video games are far more likely to be working class than middle class, according to a new study.
Researchers found that middle-class gamers gradually reduce their playing time in their 20s as they begin to focus on their careers.
However, they noted that the decline in playing time for working-class gamers was less pronounced.
The Loughborough University research team suggests that this contrast may be due to the fact that working-class young people tend to stick to childhood friend groups with whom they 'bond' during gaming sessions. .
Researchers interviewed 37 gamers for the study and analyzed survey data from 3,357 British adults aged 16 to 34.
After analyzing this data and conducting interviews, we found that 8.7% of people between the ages of 20 and 24 in higher-level management and professional positions play video games every day. In contrast, one-fifth (20%) were found to be engaged in daily work or manual labor. .
The same figures for 25- to 34-year-olds were 8.7 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
“After the age of 20, the proportion of people who play games every day decreased dramatically among the middle class. This is in contrast to the routine manual group, where the decline was significantly smaller,” said the study's lead author. One Xiaobing Zhou explained.
Zhou, a doctoral student, inferred from the interview that behind this was the middle-class participants' desire to succeed in their studies and chosen careers.
“Most of the mobile participants who are middle class or above have had their gaming time gradually reduced due to educational or professional responsibilities,” he said.
“They considered self-discipline to be a valuable achievement and emphasized that they found a balance between gaming as a hobby and their regular lives.
“Their habits of self-discipline may have been inculcated in higher education institutions or professional workplaces.
“It affects not only the participants' games, but also the advancement of their careers and economic status.”
The study, presented at the British Sociological Society's annual conference, found that as middle-class participants left home for study or work, they played fewer games with friends or were more likely to play alone instead. It turned out that I was able to fit these activities into my life. Their days are becoming increasingly busy.
However, the gaming habits of my working-class colleagues did not change much into my early twenties because their living conditions did not change.
“Working-class participants, particularly those with higher education and those who were not fully employed, were more likely to play more frequently and for longer periods of time during each session as they transitioned into young adulthood.” Mr. Zhou said.
“Some people had negative opinions about gaming and thought they were spending too much time on it, which might not be healthy, but they still try to control it. There were very few.
“If you don't develop such controlled gaming habits, you may become very conscious or ashamed of playing games.”
Researchers found that working-class participants remained in the same social circles throughout their lives, highlighting the bonds they experience when playing video games with childhood friends and often encouraging them to play video games further. discovered.
One working-class interviewee told Mr. Zhou that he spends about eight hours a day playing video games, adding:
“It’s probably not a healthy amount, but I personally really enjoy it.”
Conversely, middle-class participants admitted that gaming had taken a “backburner” in their lives, saying, “I would like to play more games and spend more time on them, but… I know it's not the most important thing in my life.” Life at this point.
“I always end up putting other things on the back burner.”
Chou suggested that his team's study was the first to examine gaming in people transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood, adding: has often been overlooked. ”
The study also recorded data on the careers of young people aged 16 to 19, several of whom held management positions and some even ran their own businesses.
A third (33%) of these people played video games every day, but this number was 5% (38%) higher for people who worked in daily jobs or manual labor.
Half of 16- to 19-year-olds in senior management positions have never played a video game, while half of 16- to 19-year-olds in daily jobs or manual labor have never played a video game. Ta.
For older people, this figure was 50 to 60 percent in both classes.