Week 12: Clear

The day has finally come where I get to make a post regarding a controversial (as far as video games are concerned) topic: whether video games are harmful to the youth of the United States. Some of you may believe that video games are the root of all evil. I on the other hand, believe they are about 95% healthy for kids. That's even more healthy than Honey Nut Cheerios! Now, I'm going to address why games are not to blame for violence and childhood obesity and lay out a few benefits as well.

Online Games NOT to Blame

For some reason, a lot of people have a problem with online gaming and gaming in general. Apparently, it is to blame for violence in kids and childhood obesity among other things. I can only assume it is due to a general ignorance among non gamers in regards to gaming culture. As a 20 year old gamer myself, I may be biased. But, based on statistics and the fact that I interact with gamers on a regular basis, I believe the causation of the aforementioned problems should not be attributed to gaming.

Violence

The first issue is whether games cause an increase in violent behavior. I don't like to limit this argument to kids because kids shouldn't be playing overly violent games in the first place. Due to game ratings, violent games (most of which are rated M for mature) cannot be bought by children. Adults should not let kids play these games. On to the statistics... Violent crimes peaked in the US in 1994. According to the US Department of Justice, since then, violent crime has been on a steady decline. Violent games have only been increasing in popularity since then. Obviously, there are other factors involved, but this should at least be an indicator that violent games are not the cause of violence. Violent games can be an outlet to release pent up aggression. They can also attract violent people, but they certainly do not make people more violent than they already are. This article elaborates on how violent games promote cooperation instead of encouraging aggression: http://www.geekosystem.com/video-game-violence-link-questioned/  

This next video is fairly long (about 9 minutes), but it gives a good explanation on the amount that video games affect violence. He states that there is a small connection between violent video games and violence, and only with kids that are predisposed to violent behavior.  

Obesity

The next point is that online games promote obesity. I personally do not think this is the case at all. If you pay close attention to the eating patterns of Americans, you can see that they eat fast food... a lot. Schools are also cutting physical education programs in many areas. These are the main problems. If you look at a selection of professional gamers, most of them are not obese. Seriously, go to www.majorleaguegaming.com and look through some pictures. These are the best gamers in the world, the ones that spend the most time playing online games, and I would bet that a smaller percentage of these gamers are overweight than the general population.

Gamers are also very competitive people. They want to outplay their opponent in every scenario. This translates well to sports. Gamers have that mindset of wanting to win and overcoming challenges. That's what sports are all about, so it is my belief that gamers are naturally inclined to play sports as well. Video games cultivate an active mind and body. 

Conclusion

Overall, I think that gaming is a positive experience. If you aren't an obsessive individual, gaming is healthy. They are mentally stimulating (Portal 2, Starcraft, Sid Meier's Civilization), they can be physically healthy (Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect, Just Dance), and they improve dexterity (Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and all other games played with a controller). Even the most violent of games require and cultivate critical thinking in order to be successful. They can be stress relievers and I guarantee they make a lot of people happy. What's wrong with that?