Children and Videogames, Aggressiveness Control

Since the moment that videogames entered our homes, parents ask themselves if it is really good for children. The games became more violent from time to time, and parents started asking themselves if that would make their children aggressive. Is that true? Should we refrain our children from playing videogames?

As a Psychologist and in my clinic experience, I must say that I never seen any Playstation game damage more a children than bad parenting. GTA, Everquest or Counter-Strike are examples of very violent games, with extremely aggressive content, but does it mean that children will take a gun and shoot a another kid after playing that games? Or maybe, do you think children can take that gun and kill a playmate after watching their parents fight and threaten other people with guns? This second possibility is much more likely.

Aggressiveness is a natural part of human's psychological apparatus and is inherited from times when aggressiveness was a necessary tool for human surviving, but times are different now. We don't want people to be aggressive, especially children. But how can we deal with that natural aggressiveness if it is part of being human? Well... sports, martial arts and gymnastics are solutions, but videogame can also be one. I will say here what I tell many of the mothers who come to my office worried about their children and their Playstations: "It's better if your kid hit a guy in the videogame than in real life". You must agree that violence in fiction is much better than real life violence.

Kids, as the rest of us, need a place where they can express their aggressiveness, and videogame might be the solution. When a boy plays a violent videogame, the aggressive pulse inside will be released to that activity, preventing that aggressiveness to be held inside as frustration. Many cases of people who eventually explode, get a gun and start shooting people without any apparent reason, come from repressed anger. Anger must be released, and it is up to the parents to find the best way to release children aggressiveness in a healthy way. Videogame is certainly an option.

But, of course, videogame is not a miracle and parents shouldn't allow kids to play videogame all the time. Science says that videogames are good food eye-hand coordination an Creativity stimulation, but, as a Psychologist, I guarantee that it doesn't replace human contact. Kids may be allowed to play videogames as long as it doesn't turn to be their only activity, or else, videogame will be the only thing they will know how to do. Playing videogames is a very addictive activity, and parents must create a time limit for videogame playing, preventing the risk of raising obese, alienated and anti-social children.