Games blamed for decline in Aussie pet ownership
by Kyle Orland 
{ Mar 5th 2007 at 12:25PM }
As a medium, video games have been blamed for a whole host of society's ills. Violence, obesity, and educational underachievement are just some of the high profile problems that have been laid on gaming's doorstep at one time or another. But now, video games are being portrayed as the cause of a much graver threat; namely, the decline in Australian pet ownership.
As Australian Veterinary Association President Kersti Seksel told the Sydney Morning Herald (and any other outlet that would listen) today's kids "interact more by playing computer games and less by going out there and throwing the ball to a dog." Why is this a problem, exactly? According to Seksel, "We need to learn people skills, physical skills, and sitting in the lounge room with a computer doesn't teach you that."
Leaving aside for a second the idea of learning "people skills" from playing with an animal, implying that game playing and pet ownership are somehow mutually exclusive is a little ridiculous. You might as well argue that reading books and talking on the phone are dangerous pastimes because they take away from time with poor, neglected Fido.
Pet ownership usually takes up only a small part of a child's day, and singling out video games for distracting from that time strikes us as a little opportunistic. And while "you can't hug a computer," as the SMH article points out in the lede, you also don't have to take a computer out for walks. Man's best friend, indeed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sheppy @ Mar 5th 2007 12:33PM
This is bullshit!
I tried to get my cat into gaming and the only thing she could play was Samba De Amigo!
Myke @ Mar 5th 2007 12:41PM
Sheppy, my cat is about 3/4's the way through Trauma Center: Second Opinion.
Daniel @ Mar 5th 2007 12:46PM
Yeah, cause everyone knows Nintendogs is superior to the real thing.
Yes. Right. Sure.
sheppy @ Mar 5th 2007 12:47PM
I tried training her on Wii. But once I show her how to box, she attacks my arm. So we go back to bowling.
sheppy @ Mar 5th 2007 12:49PM
"Yeah, cause everyone knows Nintendogs is superior to the real thing.
Yes. Right. Sure."
I was really disappointed when I learned you couldn't abuse your Nintendogs. That was the funnest part about Catz and Dogz on PC a long time ago. Training it, everyday, that eating food is bad. So it would nervously edge closer to the food while looking around, frightened. Ahh, the presims abuse simulator....
John @ Mar 5th 2007 12:55PM
My hamster Zelda disagrees very strongly with this.
And she's a bitchin' Brain Age player.
Todd @ Mar 5th 2007 1:12PM
I have allergies to those flea ridden mammals, so unless the Australian Veterinary Association President has found a cure for me than I won't be owning a dog or cat anytime soon. I'll thereby have plenty of time to play video games rather than interacting with a non-existent pet.
refinedsugar @ Mar 5th 2007 1:32PM
It's all about moderation! Any article like this is bound to be one sided needless to say, but at the same time we shouldn't send the wrong message the other way and encourage/support people to disconnect from reality for any leisure outlet.
Zach @ Mar 5th 2007 1:55PM
Gamers don't have pets? Tell that to my 2 cats, three tarantulas, and 100-odd feeder roaches (for the tarantulas)!
NintendoFanbot @ Mar 5th 2007 1:52PM
I have a dog and sometimes there's nothing better than playing with it. Nintendogs is good but nothing is more real than the thing itself.
I don't have a cat but one possible Wii-like situation is using a laser pointer to mess with them. :P
Dracula Jones @ Mar 5th 2007 2:21PM
My cat loves gaming. She currently has the high score in "Chase Flashlight!"
Pikachelsea @ Mar 5th 2007 3:34PM
For crying outloud. Is there anything that people won't blame on videogames anymore? Kersti Seksel needs to a) get a better name, b) stop demonizing an industry that she obviously knows absolutely nothing about, and c) go suck a fat one.
blake3737 @ Mar 5th 2007 3:44PM
Huh Huh Huh HUh...
Seksel...
Like sex...l....
Huh Huh HUh
sheppy @ Mar 5th 2007 3:44PM
Didn't one magazine blame video games on lowered sex drive?
steve @ Mar 5th 2007 5:58PM
I blame the decline in pet ownership on not being allowed to have pet koalas...
Au @ Mar 5th 2007 6:06PM
It seems everyone is jumping on the "videogames are the bane of society" bandwagon these days.
hvnlysoldr @ Mar 5th 2007 7:36PM
My family breeds lovebirds, and hopefully parrots soon. We have some thirty odd birds at any one time. They usually have clutches of three or four chicks at a time. Each chick has to be fed and cared for until we sell them. And the adults need clean cages and boxes and food and water and special food for babies. Still didn't cut down on gaming though it might have helped them if I did.
klink-o @ Mar 5th 2007 9:22PM
I'm not really up on current Australian law but if I recall correctly aren't there pretty strict laws there on owning non-domestic animals? I know most of my pets wouldn't pass that test.
boradley @ Mar 6th 2007 1:26AM
load of bollocks!
i'm an aussie, i've been gaming for 23 years and a dedicated and committed pet owner for that long. i love my pets, cats and dogs all. and i have a social life!
many times i have sat down for a late night gaming session with cat curled in my lap..
todd (#7) vaccines are being developed ;) and only badly looked after animals are flea ridden