S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

emotional problems
. Many video games are violent, so gamers might be 
influenced by that violence. They may start to feel that it is OK to use violence in 
real life. Further, gamers spend too much time in the false worlds of their games. 
The result is that they can no longer recognize the real world. They may come to 
believe that they are characters in a game. The result of this could be violence or 
destruction
of property, either real or through computer hacking.
Of course, these 
views
are only stereotypes. There may be some gamers that 
fit the negative stereotype. However, a recent study about gamers was conducted 
in the United States by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. This research 
involved a survey of 1,162 college students across the United States. The survey 
found that most gamers are the same as normal people. According to the survey, 
both gamers and non-gamers spent the same amount of time doing different 
kinds of activities, like studying and exercising. Gamers did not spend all their 
time playing games. They did not spend all their time alone, either. Most of the 
gamers in the survey lived normal lives and had normal friends. For them, gaming 
was a social activity. These gamers were unlikely to 
commit
violence against others. 
Finally, the survey found that just as many women as men played video games. 
According to this survey, at least, gaming has 
become a normal hobby, like any other, and as is the 
case with many other stereotypes, the stereotypical 
image of gamers does not seem to match with 
reality.
31 
emotional problems --- extreme emotional reactions not usually 
found in others
36
destruction --- damage; complete ruin
37 
views --- ideas
46
commit --- to do; to carry out
Reading Time
_______ minutes _______ seconds
591 words

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R 
eading Comprehension
26