The Effects Video Games Can Have
Grand Theft Auto IV
Video Games often get a bad reputation for causing a select few kids to commit murders or for making some become short tempered. However, Video Games have also managed to have a positive impact on the lives of many, whether young or grown.
To start off with the bad effects that video games can have, just to present the point of view of a parent in many cases, are few. Bloody video games can cause trauma in the minds of very impressionable kids I suppose, although many games do not display hectic and realistic violence to that extent. However, in a game like Grand Theft Auto IV, where you have the option to assassinate your victims during some missions, it may be able to scare them a bit. There have been moments where I have had to look away from the television while playing a game, admittedly, but it was not due to gore, surprisingly.
Another couple of effects video games may have on the player are making them short tempered and overly competitive. I actually agree with this one, as well as many who play a popular first person shooter over Xbox Live. For someone who may play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you will experience how your own team mates will curse you out if you make a mis-step or screw up on an objective such as defusing a bomb. It can get pretty ugly out there, with people who generally are not racist hurling out racial slurs like no tomorrow. Not only that, but in the midst of battle, in a very close team death match, with all that trash talk that many people sling towards each other, it can get pretty competitive. After trash talking the enemy team, no one really wants to lose, so you become overly competitive, and may tend to scream at your own teammates for being killed too much or being bad at the game. The point of a video game is to have fun, while some people treat it as if it were literally life or death.
Addiction is another popularly mentioned side effect of playing a very good video game. But however, you can argue
Modern Warfare 2 InGame
that point to any source of entertainment. Movies, reading books, watching television, eating, many people get addicted to these habits after having a good experience. However, video games get a very bad reputation for this, because people will spend up to 7 hours a day on their games trying to level up or just playing with their friends. I remember over the summer vacation in my freshman year of highschool, I literally played my Xbox 360 for over 5 hours a day trying to get red tiger camouflage on all of my weapons in Call of Duty 4. When you are playing with your friends, who also are as enthusiastic towards playing games as you are, putting the controller down can be a tough thing.
However, parents like to bring up this addiction because it greatly interferes with school, which I agree with. A lot of kids put their video games and leisure time ahead of school work, which can be a problem. However, parenting skills are to blame in this case, because that is the moment that discipline should come into play. But that is a discussion for another post on another blog found on the internet.
However, video games also do have a good influence on ones life in some ways as well. I have been playing video games since I was a child, starting on the black and white gameboy. I can easily say that video games have inspired me in many ways, both mentally and physically. Since most characters in a game are muscular and athletic, I now find myself actively working out to attain the physique that I have become accustomed to. Also, the vocabulary used in some of the higher tier games can actually help you understand things that you may not have in a book. There can be some quite uncommon words mentioned in a video game, such as “dilapidated”.
God of War III
My reflexes have been greatly improved by playing both Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2. Those games have close quarter maps that require sharp reflexes in order to be able to dispatch of your enemies before you are defeated. Not only that, but it helps you to be able to decipher information at a quicker pace than you normally would have to, while playing a game such as Guitar Hero. This has helped me academically and athletically. In academics, while taking a test, I can easily skim a test looking for key words in questions, and be able to finish the test 10 – 20 minutes earlier than my fellow classmates, and still score perfect (or near perfect) on it. In athletics, while playing Volleyball, it helps you to be able to discern how low you need to go to bump when you are being spiked by someone who is good at it.
On top of reflexes and deciphering information, it also broadens your horizons mentally. It can help improve your
Sora, Donald and Goofy
creativity, which is normally thought to be a birth trait. Actually, the more media and entertainment you are exposed to, the more your brain will have to draw on for your creativity, which can definitely help you in life if you are working on a project of some sort. It helps you have an appreciation for writing and art direction, that many tend to lack while watching a television show. Many of the top tier video games are named as such for their amazing sense of art direction and breath taking writing and story progression. These factors can influence your opinion on literature as well as your respect towards it. If you have a lot of video game playing friends, you may notice that a lot of them tend to be good at reading or at school, or that is what I have noticed at least.
So the presence of video games in one life is sort of a mixed bag. While you may risk becoming addicted, losing interest in school, becoming overly competitive and short tempered, you may also improve your reaction time, your ability to decipher information and be able to broaden your horizons. Video games will most likely become a household item in the next couple of years, as people find innovative ways to keep your children active and educated. Be sure to consider the consummate effects that video games can have before judging it.
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