That no senior politician plays video games and it is one of the reasons they suck.

[JohnMcCainsDeathStare]

Something that has made me think and this is almost certainly a generational thing since Millenials and younger Gen Xers have grown up with them is that I bet most politicians don't play video game or indeed know what they are.

I think they are very important, they help problem-solving and thinking on your own, that is the simple ones like Pacman and Mario Bros. Not to mention strategy and First Person Shooters helping with tactings and in some case, working with other people. (I miss LAN parties and the huge rucks we'd have playing WarCraft 3).

But also the classics like Civilization and Alpha Centuri - remarkably sophisticated games that actually have you care about the outcome and your people, even if they are defined by lines of code. There are still quotes for Alpha Century that hit me in the feels. Not to mention a good Role Playing Game - Zelda still a good one after 30 years.

So what I'm saying is that a lack of playfullness and a lack of gaming makes politicians that are bad at being humans and bad at empathy? Unless it is mindgames shit gaming that totally sucks and is no fun at all unless you are a garbage human?

PS I know this should be in Gaming but you could stow a corpse in there and no-one would know for a week.

"Hence the disclaimer @Sonichu but there’s no doubting the ones sat there with three screens"

So? If I had the space for it I'd have a three monitor set up on my PC for work. It'd make my life so much easier.

They were gaming @Sonichu. 🤷‍♀️

I gathered that, and?

As someone who plays games far too much I can confidently say they are a massive time suck.

Anything complex takes hours and hours to get good at, never mind complete. Communicating online also does not compare in the slightest to real life because you don't have eye contact or body language. I also don't see how it builds empathy in most people because when gaming I am very aware than the pixilated people are expendable. A lot of games are also designed to be addictive in a way that tv and film aren't because you have no control of the outcome of a film/tv show.

It can be a very valuable form of entertainment but that's it.

But it's self-discipline, isn't it?

Yes, @PineappleDanish and the self-discipline is not to play in the first place!
Games are designed to be addictive, they intentionally train our brains to want that little bit more, that next dopamine hit. That's how gaming companies make money, getting people addicted and getting them to part with more cash for upgrades, next levels, Downloadable Content etc

And, y'know, my son is so intelligent that if he applied the part of his brain he's using to remember all the locations of shrines in BOTW, and all the weapons available in the game to something useful like engineering or chemistry he could change the world.

I don't care how people choose to spend their downtime, as long as it doesn't affect me personally, but no, I don't think that gaming is any more valuable, character-building, horizon-broadening, mind-sharpening , etc. than myriad other hobbies -- and the suggestion that politicians would be better if they hanged is laughably ridiculous.

That said, I am certain that some of the younger politicians do game.

*gamed! Though some might say my autocorrect was not without merit...

I do enjoy video games, but I think your argument is too simplistic. Gaming can help people develop those skills and mindsets, but so can lots of other activities.

For example, I’d say that reading lots of fiction has done more to develop my empathy than playing video games ever did.

And also, given the way people tend to talk about all video games as a childish waste of time, I bet any politician admitting to gaming in their free time would be torn to shreds by the press.

Of course they know what video games are and probably a fair few play them. Not only themselves but with their kids (that's how I started playing, but only those lego Star Wars type games). Whether it has taught them anything who knows. But I'm sure a number use them for relaxation.

Lots of MPs do play computer games...

Plague Inc was certainly doing the rounds on WhatsApp groups back in March and I know a couple who are big Civilization fans.

The geek quotient is high in Parliament - board games, computer games and Lego are all very popular.

Video games are for kids aren't they?

No. Only idiots think that.

That said, the OP is talking rubbish.

Games are written by other humans, as far as I know, so not sure they can teach you a huge amount . Reading books can teach empathy and allow you to imagine all sorts of scenarios - also written by humans.
Your comparison is a bit like Eastenders being used to train social workers in common family issues.
.....I DON'T KNOW!

Why those three words are so hard to say is a mystery to me since that's practically my ground state.
Because our media would ensure they were deemed unfit for their post.

Nah, you're ok. I have a real life and I'd hope that those in Government do too.

YABU. I love to game, but you’re talking a load of crap and making gamers look bad.

Plague Inc is a game I usually enjoy, even if it is a bit too close to current affairs for my liking right now. And its quite fast to get to the endpoint so it’s much less of a time sink than some games.

Although given how slowly we moved towards lockdown, I’m struggling to imagine any decision makers in the government having learnt anything much from that game.

Oh my God get real. Gamers have always been weirdos

Good lord, however did the world solve problems before gaming 🤷‍♀️ I simply can't imagine how we got through a couple of world wars, and revolutions and suchlike😱...could it possibly be (radical thought here I know, but hear me out OP!) perhaps we just, you know, used our brains 🤔

I could be wrong 🤷‍♀️

Nah, you're ok. I have a real life and I'd hope that those in Government do too

You mean like the posting on MN type of real life? Score

@Gtugccbjb

I'd rather be a weirdo that an ignorant cunt.

Although it seems that there are over two billion weirdos on the planet.

I have seen the bad of gaming - known at least 2 people who jacked their degrees playing video games as a displacement activity rather than tackling the core problems.

But in moderation they generally enhance lives - like anything else they are harmful if they occupy your time and headspace to the point that necessary tasks are neglected.

THings is a a politician your damned if you do and damned if you don't. I have some empathy their in my time at school and more generally I was damned if you do and damned if I don't.
Like boys = slag
Don't like boys = lesbian (a killing insult in the 90's)
Studies hard = bookworm
Doesn't study hard = stupid
Tries to be friends = butt monkey
Misanthropic = Wierdo.

So to liberate myself I decided to make myself into the saddest nerdiest bookworm gamer EVER and am a lot happier for it. Their hate can save my fuel bill as it keeps me warm at night. Perhaps the worst thing you can do as a politician is aim to be popular.

Also there is the point that are politicians ever going to have suitable mental headspace to digest data, answer questions and evalute sources if they are supposed to be hard at it ALL THE TIME. You don't give quality time - you won't get quality decisions. I hope recent events are making more people realise that the fetishization of hard work is ultimately self-defeating.

And saying I don't know when your don't know something would make me respect someone if they are then going to remedy this. They are in principle a good fit if they are aware of their limits and not falling into Dunning-Kruger territory. try telling that to an HR person when interviewing for a research position though..-

You’re posting about video games on Mumsnet. Don’t you know they are the devil and responsible for all the evil in the world?

"Oh my God get real. Gamers have always been weirdos"

Cringe.

Yes of course they are - fancy ever having to take responsibility for your own actions and consequences?!

DURRR

Still I'm kinda impressed that adult women still view me as the sad, lonely weirdo I was as a teen. Do I get a special prize?

@JohnMcCainsDeathStare I don't know, I kind of see Boris Johnson as an arcane mage on World of Warcraft, or a Dragoon on Final Fantasy XIV.

Anyway, alongside my gaming hobby, I also enjoy knitting, reading (in fact - to the previous poster who said that gamers probably haven't read books since school, the fact I read will most likely surprise you), cross stitching, watching rugby and equestrian sporting, and cooking.

When I am not doing any of the above, I am caring, unpaid - and often to the detriment of my own serious health issues - for my mother who has a series of complex medical issues, due to her Type 1 Diabetes, and kidney problems.

My question for the gamer haters is, why is gaming so unacceptable to you?

Not all gamers are the knuckle dragging, basement dwelling, sleep all day and awake all night socially rejected weirdos that people assume we are. Some of us use gaming as a tool to unwind at the end of the day, much the same as "normal" people would read, knit, or watch television.

Gamers are not all selfish idiots either. I have friends over the world, who have used their gaming as a force for good, they have participated in 14 day streaming marathons to raise money for a US Marine Corps charity which provides toys for under privileged children at christmas, they have raised money for suicide awareness charities, St Judes Childrens hospital, bullying charities, domestic violence and rape charities and lately, there have been hundreds of gamers streaming their "waster" hobby to raise money for people affected by covid-19, or the NHS charities because like all the "normal" people they too, are stuck in lockdown, socially distancing from their loved ones, and working from home for the most part.