French president Emmanuel Macron has clarified his statements on banning video games in his country, explaining that although no ban has been put in place yet, he's not opposed to it or other restrictions should there be enough scientific research to warrant them.
Macron took to LinkedIn on February 7 to defend himself against potential critics who, as he said, "misunderstood" the intentions of his recent statements. According to French newspaper Le Monde, Macron supports the games industry--he congratulated French studio Sandfall Interactive for the massive achievement that is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33--but still wants to have a "serious debate" about the health impacts that excessive gaming can have on young people.
"Parents observe that some young people spend their days and sometimes their nights playing video games. It has also often been reported that games rated PEGI 18 are being played by children," Macron wrote. "This is a major public health, education, and responsibility issue. For physical health, eyes in particular, and mental health, when a young person no longer goes outside at all because they are playing excessively, of course this is worrying, and we must address it."
To address these concerns, Macron has announced a task force consisting of experts and the National Digital Council to work on trying to scientifically measure the effect that video games have on children and teenagers.
This comes after Macron spoke to French outlet Brut on February 5 about potentially restricting video games in the country should the task force that he's establishing come back with enough scientific evidence proving that excessive gaming does have negative health effects. In that interview, he cited Fortnite as being of particular concern because of its popularity and violence.
"[Video games] where you shoot everyone, including Fortnite, that's not real life, because it distorts the perception of violence," Macron said. "When you spend five or six hours a day killing people [...] it conditions young people [...] it will completely disinhibit them and sometimes make them commit the worst acts."
Games have been under attack by career politicians and elected officials for years for allegedly inciting violence. While there have been some recent studies suggesting a link between violent games and increased aggression, most researchers and psychologists have found no correlation between digital and real-world violence. It seems true, however, that playing too many video games for too long can harm your mental and physical health. Conversely, certain games--such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--can improve your happiness.
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Macron took to LinkedIn on February 7 to defend himself against potential critics who, as he said, "misunderstood" the intentions of his recent statements. According to French newspaper Le Monde, Macron supports the games industry--he congratulated French studio Sandfall Interactive for the massive achievement that is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33--but still wants to have a "serious debate" about the health impacts that excessive gaming can have on young people.
"Parents observe that some young people spend their days and sometimes their nights playing video games. It has also often been reported that games rated PEGI 18 are being played by children," Macron wrote. "This is a major public health, education, and responsibility issue. For physical health, eyes in particular, and mental health, when a young person no longer goes outside at all because they are playing excessively, of course this is worrying, and we must address it."
To address these concerns, Macron has announced a task force consisting of experts and the National Digital Council to work on trying to scientifically measure the effect that video games have on children and teenagers.
This comes after Macron spoke to French outlet Brut on February 5 about potentially restricting video games in the country should the task force that he's establishing come back with enough scientific evidence proving that excessive gaming does have negative health effects. In that interview, he cited Fortnite as being of particular concern because of its popularity and violence.
"[Video games] where you shoot everyone, including Fortnite, that's not real life, because it distorts the perception of violence," Macron said. "When you spend five or six hours a day killing people [...] it conditions young people [...] it will completely disinhibit them and sometimes make them commit the worst acts."
Games have been under attack by career politicians and elected officials for years for allegedly inciting violence. While there have been some recent studies suggesting a link between violent games and increased aggression, most researchers and psychologists have found no correlation between digital and real-world violence. It seems true, however, that playing too many video games for too long can harm your mental and physical health. Conversely, certain games--such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--can improve your happiness.
Source