In fact, those financial issues faced by current and future university students might make an excellent subject for a piece of investigative journalism for a flagship current affairs program put out by a broadcaster which is funded by the people who are still saddled with thousands of pounds of debt, partly from buying television licenses. Does that make shampoo manufacturers responsible? Without knowing more intimate details of his spending habits it is deceitful to pin the blame on video games rather than the many other financial constraints met by modern university students. I could just as easily assert that Joe was left thousands of pounds in debt, partly from buying shampoo. Raphael is on hand to voice over that Joe has been excluded from university and “left thousands of pounds in debt, partly from buying games.” This statement, while possibly true, is disingenuous. This is certainly a cautionary tale that it is important for anyone with an existing propensity towards addiction to hear. He tells of how his self-diagnosed addiction led to him skipping lectures and removing himself from the social aspects of his life. The first sufferer of addiction, Joe Staley, tells a sad story of becoming progressively more attached to his console and letting the other aspects of his life suffer. Surely this statement, in such proximity to his previous assertion that it was surprising (at least) to see so many people turn out for a premier, demonstrates his inability to comprehend the subject matter? Perhaps it only demonstrates his inability to write a documentary script so we should continue to give him the benefit of the doubt. In fact, in the very next voice-over Raphael goes on to point out that: “we spend more than £3 billion a year on gaming, more than we spend on film or music”. Surely a statement like this only serves to underlie the ignorance of the reporter who begins his report by forcing faux-shock that the world’s largest grossing entertainment medium is popular. “I just can’t believe how many people are here, just to buy a game” says Raphael Rowe as his report starts. This is already weighting the coverage in favour of the unfounded claims about the evils of gaming and it sets a worrying tone for the rest of the program. So it seems to me that video games are only the preserve of young children when it suits the agenda to imply so, in spite of all evidence to the contrary.
This implies that video games are the sole domain of younger children when the fact is that almost all biggest selling video games of the past few years have been classified by the BBFC and/or PEGI as being only suitable for those over 15. “Christmas pester-power at its peak” states Jeremy Vine in his opening piece to camera. I am concerned, however, that your treatment of what I consider to be a very real danger is played for shock value rather than to inform or educate. As a responsible, intelligent and mature fan of video games, I think that addiction is an issue that should be researched independently so that it may be better understood and so that its sufferers may be better assisted. In fact, I wrote an article on the subject last year which was praised by the leading online support group for gaming addiction ( ). I wouldn’t like to claim that video game addiction is not a danger, or a worry. I’m the managing editor of a large UK-based video games website so the subject was of particular interest to me.
The show was, ostensibly, a look at video game addiction and the problems it can cause. It is with great concern that I write to you concerning your Panorama program first screened on 6th December 2010 on BBC1. This latest letter of complaint (there were similar letters following the Watchdog YLoD report and to ITV following the Titchmarsh debacle) is in response to the Panorama program based on the dangers of video game addiction. Below is a letter I have sent this evening to BBC Complaints department.
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