Should Video Games Be Blamed for Violence in Children?

As many of you have heard the great debate on how video games are hurting children in today's society, I disagree. Video games can be used as a tool to learn to do harm, just like how a violent television show, a suggestive song, or the internet can be. But video games as a stand alone item are in no way, in my eyes the reason for children's bad behavior.

First let's look at the negative. Video games can be highly addictive. Kids (and adult gamers) can purchase a game and spend virtually days straight playing a specific game. Some RPGs may take up to 60 hours to complete, or longer. Games such as World of Warcraft have a feature where you can look up how many hours that you have played, and I know many people who say they have reached the 100 days. 100 days equals 2400 hours of gaming.

On the flip side of this, is it just gaming or just how people choose to use their time? If they aren't gaming, would they just be watching that much TV anyway? Whatever it is, it has to be done in moderation. It is not the game itself that is at fault, but the user.

Another negative thing about video games is the amount of violent and sexual content in them. The difference between a video game and a movie is that you are actually the lead character doing the violent actions where as a movie you are just watching it happen. It could make kids more violent, but really... how many children back in the 50s didn't have a toy gun or shoot birds with a sling shot? Again, I do not think it's the video games fault... but how they translate the violence in video games to real life.

Video games can also be an additional factor in childhood (and adult) obesity. Instead of going out biking with friends in the neighborhood, kids are going home and logging into virtual worlds with their friends and conversing online instead of in person. Again, this is something that if done in moderation and the child typically has a healthy eating lifestyle then a little gaming will not harm them.

But there are also positives towards gaming.

When playing games where you have to buy and sell, kids can learn about economy and what supply and demand is all about. There are actually some kids out there that consider this and do more than running around begging for money like they might with their parents. This type of skill can be learned playing MMORPGs.

Some of the older RPGs out there have a very dynamic story line and character development much like a novel. Kids who would never pick up a book in their life can still get the experience of reading and becoming close to characters just like the kid next door who is reading a book. Books will always be best for imagination, but if a kid won't read but will play a classic RPG with text of storytelling, why not let them play it?

Kids can also become really creative with gaming and even learn a little bit too. There are games out there like Dance Dance Revolution(DDR) that allows you to do dance moves, Guitar Hero that lets you play on a play guitar with buttons instead of strings, and Karaoke Revolution that rates how well you sing based on hitting the right pitch at the right time.

Sometimes gaming can inspire other creative hobbies. Some kids may decide they want to be a writer because they enjoyed the story line behind the games. They may take up writing some fan stories or create some fan art based on the games. There are a few programs out there like RPG Maker that let you create your own video games. And for those older and more advanced in computer programming, gaming can inspire you to learn the behind the scenes and even take up 3D animation or programming in the future, or even just for fun on the side.

I think that games are really what you make of them. They can be a lot of fun and harmless. Even the most violent game can be perfectly harmless to you and those around you if you do not let it become something you take example from.

Many have complained that video games are the cause for violence in schools or just among each other. I disagree, to some degree. I really do not think that one video game, or even a few violent video games can be the sole reason to set someone off to shoot someone else or beat up other kids.

I know some children who are violent, and talk about shooting and killing each other when playing with squirt guns and they've never touched a video game in their life.

I do however believe that a video game can be the "final straw" in setting someone off who all ready has a violent behavior. Perhaps someone has been considering for a long time to hurt someone, because they are depressed, mentally unstable and need help. Maybe they were picked on in school and never told anyone or found any way to escape it.

Then they go home and absorb themselves all night in video gaming because they do not know how else to cope and pass the time. Perhaps the game they are currently playing gives them the idea of "how to" kill or gives them some sort of suggestion that those that hurt you should be exterminated. That is the "final straw". But to the next kid, seeing that type of violence in a game may have no effect on them because they are overall happy with their life.

Many parents now days use video games as a babysitter. I am very upset about this because I see this happen to a lot of kids nowadays. A lot of parents are very busy and make up their lost time with their children by buying them things. Other times parents just keep buying game after game to occupy their kid with so that they don't have to actually spend family time together.

Kids that have video games as a babysitter have a lot of problems later in life. This is an opinion I have based on experience with other children. Their parents I know for a fact are buying them dozens of video games. They are playing hours and hours of online games. These children I have seen to have a very hard time socializing with people in game and in real life.

I do not mean that they are shy; it means they don't know how to be respectful towards others. They make demands that if not met, you will be sworn at with an abundance of spam. Other times they do not get the concept of the difference between actually needing something, and actually just being greedy.

A kid can be this way just because they are a kid and immature, but using a video game as a babysitter and as a parent can lead them on the highway towards destructive behavior and short social skills.

Kids look to others for guidance. Who would you rather have parenting your kid? The M rated video game, the 53 year old alcoholic who doesn't pay his child support and recently came out of prison who is now playing the online game with your child, or yourself?

If you teach your kids the difference between right and wrong and let them play video games, but in moderation the video games will not at all hurt them. They may encounter all sorts of weirdos playing online games such as through MMORPGs or Xbox Live, but at least you were able to give them the guidance they need.

Parents should play a very active roll in their children's lives and find out what is going on with them. Teenagers are stereotypically the kind to play loud music and shut themselves in their room all night. I don't think parents should be snooping and reading their journals, but talking to your kids and having family meals or family activities is always important.

Video games can be good or bad, depending on what you make of it. It is the parents' job to help guide the good.

Lastly, over protecting your children can also do more harm than good. It is important that your children understand what kind of evil may be out there, but also what is good and how to protect yourself from it. Banning video games in the household because they might be "evil" or "violent" may be good until they are 10, but eventually banning every thing will just hurt them.

They will just end up sneaking behind your back or going to a friend's house to play, and when that happens you have no control and no idea what they have come in contact with.

Everything should be taken in moderation. It's physically impossible to exercise 24 hours a day. You have to take a rest. In good moderation and learning the difference between the bad and the good, video games should never be the blame to violence.