Internet, Video Games Blamed for Drop In Camping
Research sponsored by The Nature Conservancy has determined that as people spend more time surfing the Web and playing video games indoors, they are less interested in experiencing the outdoors and less caring about what happens to the environment.
The study was conducted in the United States and Japan and tracks the rise of video game play in the early 1980s along with a decline in visits to national parks, camping, fishing and other outdoor recreation. Declines of 18 to 25 percent were reported.
According to a statement by the researchers, "Video games, home movie rentals, going out to movies, Internet use, and rising fuel prices explained almost 98 percent of the decline in people visiting national parks."
The consequences, they determined, are not just a general decline in people's health but also a decline in their interest in biodiversity and conservation efforts.
So, stop reading and go take a walk in the park. Just bring your cell phone in case we need to reach you.
From The Associated Press via Wired.
Related links:
- New Mexico Considering Video Game Tax
- Most Cell Phones Still End Up In Landfills, Polluting the Environment
- Earth Day's Tech Losers
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joni @ Mar 18th 2008 12:07PM
My family loves to go camping (we try to find a new campground or two to visit each year) and to our state's parks but we don't go as much anymore. It has nothing at all to do with surfing the internet or playing video games (which we do) but rather the rise in the cost of gasoline. Our van (the family vehicle) has a 20 gallon tank and costs around $70 just to fill it up.
Personally, I'd rather be outside exploring a park, going to the beach or taking walks than cooped up indoors on the internet or playing video games all the time. So, during Spring Break, I try to have the money saved up to pay for the gas and I take the children on one day road-trips to explore and have fun, such as going up into the mountains to play in the snow.