New York Times Roasts 14 Year-Old for Being a Gamer

They did more damage to him than video games ever could.

By nootens

Published 4 years ago in Facepalm

Over the weekend, the New York Times ran a front page article claiming children are becoming more addicted to playing video games during the pandemic, and suggesting that long-term gaming will make kids either drug addicts or incapable of dealing with adulthood.

These inane arguments aren't new, but it's a bummer for the 14 year-old kid who became the poster child for this article, getting roasted by the Times on their front page. An opening quote from his dad says, "I've failed you as a father."

But in a move showing how responsible and empathetic gamers actually are, the gaming community came together to stick up for the kid and possibly get him some free gaming equipment from Seamus Blackley, the inventor of the Xbox.

Way to clutch the W, boys.

1
The fact that this article made the front page of the NYT proves both how out of touch the publication is with reality, and how much they love to stoke fear rather than genuinely inform the public.

2
Imagine your dad says "I failed you as a father," and you just gotta walk around feeling like you've spiritually cucked your father. That's messed up.

3
No quicker way to alienate your kid than to blast his photo on the front page of the world's largest newspaper whining about how disappointed you are in him.
4
The problem with the article is it makes assumptions about possible negative side effects from playing video games, then leads readers to assume the worst.

5
So when it says that playing lots of video games can make someone's brain exhibit activity patterns that resemble brain activity in people with addictions, it's implying that gaming will basically turn your kid into a drug addict, which is 100% not true

The only thing lots of gaming will lead to is more gaming.
6
People who actually play video games stepped up to disprove every stupid claim the article made.
7
And share stories of the good things that video games offered over the past year.

8
Seamus Blackley, the man who invented the first Xbox, chimed in and offered to send the gamer some free stuff.
9
No better way to prove this article wrong than by demonstrating the power of the gaming community.
10
But yeah, this article was stupid and the Times was even stupider for publishing it.