Eight myths about video games debunked

Henry Jenkins, director of comparative studies at MIT, debunks eight big myths about video games and their impact on society. If you're about to head into holiday get-togethers where others are wont to give you flak about your games hobby (or your games job), you should read up on these issues and to be prepared to set the record straight on games and violence, by force if necessary.

The myths are:

1. "The availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence."

2. "Scientific evidence links violent game play with youth aggression."

3. "Children are the primary market for video games."

4. "Almost no girls play computer games."

5. "Because games are used to train soldiers to kill, they have the same impact on the kids who play them."

6. "Video games are not a meaningful form of expression."

7. "Video game play is socially isolating."

8. "Video game play is desensitizing."

[Via Torill Mortensen's excellent blog, thinking with my fingers]

See also: Penny Arcade and Game Critics interviews with Henry Jenkins.