Violent Videogames: A Shot in the Dark?

Are violent videogames transforming our children into modern day maniacs? Probably not. Today, videogames are a multi-billion dollar a year business and getting more realistic than ever. Violence among children has been attributed to their playing videogames. However, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, crime among teens has been dropping steadily since the mid-1990's. In fact, violent crime amongst youths is the lowest it has been in the last four decades, according to the BJS.

And more and more videogames are being blamed for the violence among children today. But, the games I played growing up were so innocent and simple. The videogames I use to play are now packed with guns, bombs, and blood. However, I use to kill turtles with their shells in Super Mario Bros., I use to shoot robots in Mega Man and blow up mutants in Blaster Master since the Nintendo Entertainment System. It may sound silly but it is true. And I had a great time doing it. Videogames are fiction. A child may pick up a controller and run around as a wizard, a soldier, or a criminal. The important thing for young players to remember is that they are not really a wizard, soldier, or criminal. And almost all do. Give children some credit, they do not mimic everything that they see. They know there are boundaries called reality. The few that do not understand this indicates that some children are missing other important elements in their life.

The real bothering part of the argument against videogames is that the premise has always been the same. Destroy or beat an enemy. Seeing the blame thrown at the more violent, popular first-person-shooters like Halo and Call of Duty is unfair. There might as well be a ban on any sport or activity that declares anyone better than anyone else. It is about how you perceive the realism of a game. A child could win in a card game and perceive to have killed the person that was defeated. In chess, a child could kill the queens and kings to attain victory.It depends on the health of the childs perception. That is a responsibility for parents to look after and shape in their children as they age.

It is often overlooked that a child can actually learn something from a videogame. Shooting good guys removes points or health from your game. Killing innocent people will cause the cops to chase you. Killing more innocent people will cause more police to come after you, unitl you are caught. The most valuable lesson is using teamwork to acheive goals and complete missions. Playing with my two young nephews I noticed that we use teamwork to complete the games we play. They learn that things become easier when working together, rather than the stereotype that videogames are about isolating oneself.

Know what games your children are playing. Be there to explain to them the effects of the actions they take in videogames and to remind them what to learn from it. My advice to parents or anyone with children in their family is to watch for real warning signs. If your children use squirt guns by the pool, they are not planning a shooting in the near future. Look for signs like antisocial behavior and disciplinary problems at school or around others. Videogames cannot do as much harm as not making friends or having lack of human contact, so encourage your child to take breaks and go outside.