Are video games making you shy?

a friend of mine just sent me this article, it was on yahoo buzz. It talks about whether or not shyness and poor social skills are connected to playing video games.
 
she sent it to me because I am quite shy, and, obviously, I play video games.
 
here is the link, if you want to read it,  http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/   
 
I agree with him though, it isnt what you expect from the title! lol i think he got it spot on.
 
jen
 

I think the same thing could be said for anything that causes you to not physically interact with people.  Sitting on the computer too long daily could do the same.  

Good article, and I agree, they don't.

Nope, I have no problems going outside and talking to people. 
I have a weird problem playing online, I don't enjoy it if there's nobody there that I know playing with me. 
Dunno why..

Video games like most addictive things simply enable bad habits you have already, they don't give them to you but they keep you from ever having to confront the fear. Kind of like taking medication to 'solve' depression. You confront the source of something to solve it, anything else just staves it off. If you're extremely shy already, I could see videogames being an outlet that keeps you from ever feeling the need to break out of your shell. But hey its your life, waste it however you want.

Nope, not at all.
I play games pretty much daily, and I'm certainly not shy.
Now if only I could tell everyone else that.
 
But really, they're probably associated to a point, if you play games for hours and hours daily, you're obviously missing out on a level of social interaction which might affect it, or you could just apply what you've learned from video games to social life, that always works, always.

I think the opposite is true. If you're naturally shy, obviously you aren't going out as much. So what is their to do alone at home? Videogames! I'm sure gaming can generate socially awkward people, but it's more likely that those people are attracted to videogames.

Nope, definitely not.
But in extreme situations that might be the case, someone who got no life outside in the real world won't learn the social skills needed for interaction.

" Nope"

" I think the opposite is true. If you're naturally shy, obviously you aren't going out as much. So what is their to do alone at home? Videogames! I'm sure gaming can generate socially awkward people, but it's more likely that those people are attracted to videogames. "

No. All of my friends have an xbox, and i talk to them on it.

I'm the most extroverted person in my family, and most of my circle of friends, and probably the most avid game-player too.

I wouldnt say im shy I just dont feel the need to be the center of attention.

I am extremely extroverted, I don't necessarily see the correlation between games and introversion. Perhaps for those of us who have no life besides video games I can understand this, but I doubt many people are that extreme.

Well, if that's all you do then you might lack some social skills. Obviously not BECAUSE of video games, you could also ONLY read books all day or watch TV all day. 
 
You know correlation does not equal causation remember that.

noh

I'm shy about telling women I like videogames, but as a whole they aren't what make me a timid person.

" i know a guy who plays video games and he whipped his cock out in the school hallway. definitely not shy "

Nah, I aint like dat. I totally talk a shit load and still play enough Video Games daily.

I am a pretty shy guy and not able to get out a lot, so if anything games, even discussing gaming, are actually a big help in becoming comfortable in social situations. It's not like I can't strike up a conversation on my own, but I am very much an introvert.
 
@artofwar420 said:

"Well, if that's all you do then you might lack some social skills. Obviously not BECAUSE of video games, you could also ONLY read books all day or watch TV all day.   You know correlation does not equal causation remember that. "

Have they ever thought that shy people gravitate towards video games, instead of video games making people shy? I can see if you play video games too much and you don't do anything else (too much of ANYTHING is bad), but if you play games moderately I doubt you'd have any problems.

I'm just naturally shy or self-reserved if anything. Video games don't really have much to do with that, though there is a chance that it does seeing how I never like spending time outside the house.

I am shy towards other who play video games whom I don't know
 
Like, there is a girl in my Chinese class that references TF2 everyday, yet I don't say anything to her.
 
But overall, Im not very shy.

" I think the opposite is true. If you're naturally shy, obviously you aren't going out as much. So what is their to do alone at home? Videogames! I'm sure gaming can generate socially awkward people, but it's more likely that those people are attracted to videogames. "

Video games don't make people shy. But I could definately see an argument for video games helping already shy people even more reclusive.

I'm really, really shy, but I've always been. It doesn't matter if it's real life or the net, I have a really hard time talking to people besides those I know really well. Video games might have helped facilitate a reason for me not to combat my shyness, but it didn't really cause it.

I don't think games MAKE you shy, I think the correlation between gamers and shyness is that people who are shy are more likely to play a significant amount of games compared to someone who isn't as shy

" I am a pretty shy guy and not able to get out a lot, so if anything games, even discussing gaming, are actually a big help in becoming comfortable in social situations. It's not like I can't strike up a conversation on my own, but I am very much an introvert."