NPR Commentary about gamers as soldiers

[Krieg]

Wow! That is totally the opposite of my experience. 6-12 maybe, but IMO you'd have to be a pretty dumb 16-22 y/o to fit that description. And I'm basing that on all those I grew up and studied with in India, and the ones I now teach in the US. Maybe I'm just meeting really smart ones.

Individuals in the 16-22 (especially males) are far more likely to participate in "reckless" or "dangerous" behavior. Unprotected sex, reckless driving & other acts that are considered dangerous or risky are far more prevelant within this age group (actually it should be pushed out to age 25 or so) than in older populations.

Insurance rates for individuals in this range are much higher primarily due these tendencies. At 22 an individual has been driving for 6+ years and can hardly be considered inexperienced as a driver.

A young adult is far more likely to downplay the consequences of personal behavior than someone in their 40's.

As to the bearing of intelligence on this issue...

In the early 70's when the US Military was struggling with the move to an all-volunteer force, the DoD commisioned a ground breaking study regarding human behavior & it's interaction with combat.

They discovered that individuals who won personal awards for valor (Bronze/Silver Stars, Distinguished Service/Navy Cross, MoH etc) were far more likely to sigifinigatly more intelligent than the norm. Conversely individuals convicted of cowardice, dereliction of duty or dessertion tended to have lower than average IQs.

 

[evileeyore]

Comments about a group of players' lack of tactical sense are more likely in my experience to come from a military person who games than a gamer who is not associated with the military.

In my experience that seems to be just the opposite. Half my current group is ex-military and wow do tactics go right out the window. Okay I should have said group tactics, as individuals they all do well...

TTFN

EvilE

 

[francisca]

Even when you filter out the political clap-trap, what a bunch of condescending crap.

"I know 'Gamer Boys!!!'"

Give me a break.

 

[Krieg]

Even when you filter out the political clap-trap, what a bunch of condescending crap.

"I know 'Gamer Boys!!!'"

Give me a break.

Oh come on, don't you hang on every word from your neighborhood Tarot Card reader?

 

[bubbalin]

They discovered that individuals who won personal awards for valor (Bronze/Silver Stars, Distinguished Service/Navy Cross, MoH etc) were far more likely to sigifinigatly more intelligent than the norm. Conversely individuals convicted of cowardice, dereliction of duty or dessertion tended to have lower than average IQs.

Okay, I didn't read the article, but if you could show me where this is stated, I would be most interested in reading it.
Of course, you're probably being interrogated and tortured right now for releasing secret information.

 

[Krieg]

Okay, I didn't read the article, but if you could show me where this is stated, I would be most interested in reading it.
Of course, you're probably being interrogated and tortured right now for releasing secret information.

LOL it wasn't a classified study.

The best place to find it now would probably be through the GAO.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Condescending? She refers to herself as an "aging gamer girl."

You folks need to lighten up. The piece was less condescending than most of the posts in this thread.