Finding Blame: It Must Be The Video Games

Gaming! Even when saying it out loud it gives me such high stress.  This is a very hot topic in my home most of the time.  When I think of technology and gaming there is a multitude of thoughts that run through my mind. First being how expensive it is. From the console, to the actual game, then all of the little extras that you can purchase in the game, being a gamer is NOT a cheap hobby.  Second thing that comes to mind with gaming is how less active and RL (gamer talk for real life) iteration happens to the person behind a screen.  The last and final thing that comes to mind is the amount of hours one wastes (yes I know that saying waste is bias, but it is my blog so.... ) playing a virtual, make believe game instead of accomplishing something in their life.

** Disclaimer- Yes I do know and recognize that my opinions are exactly that, mine, and I do know that there are people who are active, not socially awkward, successful and accomplished that are gamers. But, specifically I am speaking of the intense, "true" gamers.

Pictured borrowed by Comics.gamesfirst.com

Notice that when I listed what came to my mind when gaming is brought up, violence was never something that entered my mind. I may be the only one.. or not?

I recently read an article, written by an unknown author, that was originally posted in The Economist August 4, 2005. "Defending Video Games: Breeding Evil?" was a great insight to the evidence, or lack thereof, that video games are bad for people.



First thing that came to my mind was the morning after the Aurora Colorado shooting. After the shooting, naturally, people everywhere were trying to make sense as to why a person would do such a thing. I remember criminal profiler Pat Brown coming on the screen to talk about the incident.  Brown gave a hypothetical profile of the shooter that suggested that he was "probably spending his time in his apartment playing one video game after the other- shooting, shooting, shooting." As soon as this was said my husband and I looked at each other real quick. We just knew that in such a terrible time video games were going to get the blame.




In the article the author compared the uproar about video games with many historic instances.  First was Rock N' Roll 50 years ago. Rock n' roll was looked at as an evil influence on the youth back then.  It was seen as promoting violence, satanism and promiscuity. (This brought me back to Footloose, and the story behind that great film) Another time in history where skepticism of new media shows is the waltz. I know what your thinking, "THE FREAKING WALTZ !?!" That was my reaction exactly, but as shown in history, the waltz  was thought to be "intoxicating and depraved" with all of the twirling.  The music was even banned in some places.

The author references many accusations of video games encouraging violence, but counters them with statistics and research doing nothing but contradicting that claim.  Along with violence, the author shows that the claim that video games are also fostering adictiveness to be falsified as well.

All in all, the controversy with video games, according to the unknown author, is more than anything else, the consequence of a generational divide. Cant we all just get along? 

Pictured borrowed by http://endlessorigami.blogspot.com

When reading this article I already knew that I would agree with the author, so I had to take some other key points from him/her.  I really wanted to take away how the author writes.  In an argument situation it becomes very easy to get overly passionate and to not think clearly about the other view.  This author does.  They come off neutral near the beginning of the article, but as any good arguer, clearly states his view with facts backing them.

Even though I already felt that gaming didn't cause violent behavior, I can't really use that as an excuse for Aaron (my husband) to do some gardening or baking with me instead of being in that office.

Now all I have to do is figure out a way to convince my husband that video gaming is bad for your health :-)