Kotaku Source The Same Study Twice With Very Different Results

Remember that research from a few weeks ago that linked videogames to having shitty relationships? The one where I actually found and read the research, and found it also linked playing violent games to having more sex and watching porn?

Kotaku doesn’t. Even though they had a brief interview with the research’s main author and one of their readers. The first time they linked to the report, they commented on the link between violence and violent games. Here is an extract from the article:

Put on your tinfoil hats boys and girls, it’s time for another study that proves something about video games and the people who play them.

A new study shows that regular gamers are more likely to drink alcohol or use drugs than others, and that gaming deteriorates relationships and that the people who play them to suffer low self-esteem issues.

Oh, did I mention that the study was done by four professors at Brigham Young University by researching the habits of 800 students through an online survey?

Why should that matter?

BYU is a private university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which requires that their students adhere to a strict honor code which mandates behavior in line with Mormon teachings. That means no extra-marital sex, or use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, tea or coffee.

Where this gets interesting and relevant again is with an article posted this morning on Kotaku. The article claims there is some new research out linking porn usage to violent games. Who knew?

Journal of Youth and Adolescence is publishing a study that examined gaming and internet use among college undergrads. Hello Captain Obvious!

Lead by Laura M. Padilla-Walker, an associate professor at the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University, the study surveyed 500 female and 313 male undergraduate college students in the U.S about ideas of self-worth, social acceptance and relationships.

Laura M. Padilla-Walker, that name sounds familiar. As it should, as she was also the lead author for the first piece of research. Because, in fact, it’s the same.

To end this tale of humorously ill-researched blogging, Brian Ashcraft finishes the more recent article with his rather good put-down: “Maybe they drink alcohol, too. Do a study on that!”

From the research paper in question: “Furthermore, violent video game use by men was linked to more drinking behaviors” also “Interestingly, women who played video games or violent video games also tended to engage in more drinking behaviors …”

Thanks to the Anonymous Tipster for the info.