Mom always told you to not cross your eyes or else they'd stay that way. Now, self-described author and researcher Mike Tomich claims that excessive video game use (yeah, you) will make your fingers look like cheap chopsticks in a steamy room.
Tomich's 2007 book that's free to download called Our Silent Epidemic concludes that after a 4 1/2, 5 1/2 or 6 year "study" (all three time frames are listed), that children are deforming their fingers by playing computer and video games. This results in reduced strength, arthritic-like symptoms and skeletal damage (or evolved hands for playing video games... of course, our opinion.)
Tomich's site adds a dire warning to parents about potentially harmful effects of video gaming playing and coloring, "If your children played video gaming, then they too have these same injuries in varying degrees...period. If you think 'They played, but they didn't play that much or they were limited in playing,' I'm sorry...but these skeletal injuries are accumulative and they are deformed... even from coloring and computer use during the ages when their bones are soft (not calcified hard)."
Tomich, with the backing of several doctors on his site, warns parents "Do not allow your children to play video gaming, use computers or other dynamic force processes until they are at least 8 years-old." While the book does bring up several interesting views about the damage done by video game controllers, crayons and the steering wheel of his 2000 Chevy Impala along with several eye opening pictures, its author does fail to list his credentials to help back up the broad claims, stating simply, " We are engineers and physicians..."
The book does reprint several replies from video game companies that fail to see Tomich's point, which shows that Tomich has attempted to bring it to their attention. But in the end, Tomich's tome reads more like a personal view about the effects of video game controllers and crayons with little scientific proof. While mainstream media might make Tomich's claims part of the 10pm news, gamers may be more than happy to show Tomich at least one finger (deformed or not) of their own.
Reader Comments (6)
dude, this is crazy. it doesnt deform your fingers. both my pinky toes are bent where the side is down, what are you gonna blame that on? my fingers are curved a little, and im a gamer, but maybe those are just my genes. ever think of that?
i had every system out there ...even the atari lol and my fingers arent like that ...they seem fine to me lol...n they are straight
thats a ***** lie i remember i would fake a sickness to not go to my 1st 2nd and 3rd grade class just to play mario and sonic for sega genesis lol i also remember playin the 1st nintendo gameboy with pokemon blue and red version lol and still girls love my straight fingers :D
Sounds like April Fool's to me, though I would expect Gamedaily to get their source material from snake oil salesmen anyway.
This is a ridiculous accusation, I started playing nintendo when I was 5 years old, religously every day. I am now 25 (playing ps3) and my fingers are perfectly straight. oh, and yes i did color when I was young also just like every other kid. So putting coloring, gaming, and computer all together before the age of 8 they say my hands should look all crippled and deformed but guess what, they don't!
is this an aprilfool's joke? i've been playing console games since mario. my hands are perfection