Game Addicts are Autistic
Further revelations from the academic field.
UK, April 3, 2008 - This year's British Psychological Society Annual Conference is shaping up to be a battle royale of contesting parties screaming the head-smackingly self-evident. Following yesterday's chin-felling revelation that games are relaxing, a separate study has staked its flag atop the peaks of Mount Obvious, discovering that videogame addicts display behavioral traits similar to that seen in Asperger's sufferers.
Research, carried out by Ian Danforth of the American Whitman College and Dr John Charlton of the University of Bolton, took a predominantly male group of 391 gamers. Findings showde that players edging closer to addiction displayed traits commonly associated with Aperger's, including introversion, neuroticism and a lack of agreeableness.
Apsergers is a form of autism most commonly found in men, with some 1.2% of the population believed to be affected. Dr Charlton remarked that, "Our research supports the idea that people who are heavily involved in game playing may be nearer to autistic spectrum disorders than people who have no interest in gaming."
