Getting a Bad Rap
America is a great country. But one thing that plagues this great nation is the frequency with which violent events occur. Usually, after one of these happens, such as the Sandy Hook shooting, CNN and Fox News run feature pieces asking whether or not violence in video games caused these young people to go on a shooting spree. Then they begin the talk about censoring them. It never happens, and likely never will, but I for one hate to watch stories like this. Every time CNN or Fox goes onto this topic, there are convincing people to follow a belief that is simply untrue. And that just isn’t fair.
I am a lover of video games. I have played them since I was five years old. They are the new media that all kids grow up with and enjoy, just like TV was back in the day. And just like TV, people were told that if kids watched too much TV they would all be violent, or they wouldn’t be able to pay attention. Yet, many of the people who are reading this article are part of that generation, and they are perfectly fine. So don’t believe this when you hear it repeated today. Same spiel, different evil.
Critics argue that video games are different. You are actively participating in it, they say, and thus it causes people to have violent tendencies. Well, this is not true either. I know many people, including myself, who have played these games. Some of your children have played these games, and they are not violent. They are not lifeless, and they have no problem paying attention.
In the end, it is up to you whether or not your kids play video games. But don’t believe people like CNN and Fox when they say that it will make your kid violent, that they will be unable to pay attention in class, or be unable to function in life. Because none of it is true. Decide for yourself. But keep this in mind: my childhood was made very much better by video games. There is no reason to never let your children experience them.