Why Boys Play (So Many) Video Games
Building Boys Bulletin 10-6-25
We don’t like it when boys do this
so they do this
This makes us nervous
So they do this
We tell boys, Be Careful! and Get Down!
So they do this
We say No More! and Too Dangerous!
So they do this
We wring our hands and wonder
Why won’t our boys go outside?
Why won’t they play?
And our boys do this
Here’s to building boys!
Jen
IN THE NEWS
How Video Games are Shaping a Generation of Boys, For Better and Worse
Highlights:
Video games have “become a central way that young people socialize and provide them — especially boys — with a sense of belonging.”
“The fear is that video games have displaced other activities in boys’ and young men’s lives — including physical activity, in-person socializing, homework, jobs and sleep.. Yet researchers, and teenagers themselves, said these virtual worlds were also a place to make and build real friendships.”
“Young people play video games to satisfy core developmental needs…competence, by developing mastery; autonomy, by creating avatars and exploring worlds; and relatedness, by connecting with peers…boys and young men might seek them in the online world at a time when many say they’re feeling adrift in the offline one.”
“While the Digital Wellness Lab survey found that lonelier adolescents gamed more, gaming didn’t alleviate their loneliness — a pattern that was more pronounced for boys.”
“None of the researchers interviewed suggested that parents ban video games.”
Highlights:
“The story of these three boys perfectly distills the argument into one undeniable fact: Autism is a spectrum. A range of temperaments, behaviors, vulnerabilities and needs.”
“For two decades now, guilt has hovered around my peripheral like smoke at a campfire…Time and time again, the finger seems pointed at us: the mothers.”
“This week, a fire has been lit. As a community, we will do the only thing we know how to do: use the flame to bring autism out of the shadows and into the light.”
Teen Boys & Protein — the Dangers of Bars & Shakes
Highlights:
“Protein has become this thing that’s in everything — yoghurts, crisps, chocolate bars. But so many of them have additives, chemicals, sweeteners, gums, emulsifiers. A sandwich has probably got more nutrition than a protein bar.”
“In one recent US analysis of 70 top-selling protein-powder brands, 47 per cent exceeded California safety thresholds for toxic metals, bisphenol-A (BPA, used to make plastic), pesticides, or other contaminants with links to cancer and other health conditions.”
“Have a conversation about what a healthy, balanced diet really looks like.. the importance of fibre in your diet, and having a varied diet…which contains carbohydrate and protein from both animal and vegetable sources with nuts, berries and a little fermented food.”
“For most of us, the massive overconsumption of an individual macronutrient like protein is rarely healthy.”
Sextorters are Targeting Young Boys Online - and Flaunting How Rich the Scam is Making Them
Highlights:
“12-year-old Carson was contacted by someone on Snapchat who posed as a girl around his age. They started chatting, and quickly the conversation turned sexual. They convinced him to send nude images. Then the blackmail began…Less than 12 hours after first being contacted by his sextorter, Carson died by suicide.”
“Eighty-five per cent of sextortion victims are boys”
“CBC was able to verify that more than 40 suicides across North America, Australia and U.K. in the last four years were linked to sextortion”
“To test the social media guardrails against sextortion, Marketplace journalists created three fake profiles on Instagram, posing as teen boys…Within 24 hours, our team was targeted by seven accounts that requested nudes. One account tried to sextort Marketplace journalists even though we never sent a nude, superimposing pictures of penises next to a selfie we sent the account earlier.”
This is so true, Jennifer. We want our boys to explore and grow, yet we often stop them at every turn. The truth is, they’re just trying to understand the world in their own way.
I also really love the style you’ve used here, the way each caption flows into a photograph says so much without needing many words. You’ve told a whole story with such depth and clarity, and it stays with you long after reading.
The feminization of our culture has made mental patients of us all… ‘tis a sad time to be a boy.