Are video games harmful to the youth of the world? I don’t think so. Video games don’t hurt people physically or mentally and do not cause violence. Violence is not caused by shooter games. Research shows that shooter games are actually more beneficial to the health of people than not. They improve visual skills and give gamers a keen eye for spotting details in confusing scenes. Gamers can also cope with more distractions than an average person.
The United States Government’s National Institute of Health conducted a recent study on the affects of gaming. A series of psychological tests that measure basic visual skills were conducted on a group of computer gamers and a group of people who don’t play video games on a regular basis. One test required the subjects to match shapes appearing in a series of circles with ones displayed on the side of the screen. Gamers were much faster in matching the shapes in this test than the non-gamers. Another test was done by taking the unskilled gamers and training some on the shooter game Medal of Honor and some on Tetris. After two weeks, they were tested again, and those that played Medal of Honor showed a significant improvement in visual and attentional skills, while the Tetris players showed no changes. Researchers concluded that “video game playing enhances the capacity of visual attention and its spatial distribution.” They also said that, “Although video game playing may seem to be rather mindless, it is capable of radically altering visual attentional processing.”
Not only are video games good for one’s attention span and visual abilities, but it can also be good for one’s health. New innovative games are coming out to help fight against obesity. This is a result of a number of lobbyist groups claiming that video games have produced the generation of obese children. I think it is a bit ridiculous to blame video games for a child getting fat because children don’t get fat from playing games, but from the quality and quantity of food that they eat. It’s the fast food and lack of outside activities that are causing obesity. Video games are changing to help fix this problem of obesity. Dance Dance Revolution is one example. This game gives one a workout and can help shave off the unwanted pounds with its requirement of constant movement. The most recent and innovative gaming system to focus on movement is the Nintendo Wii. With their new product “Wii Fit,” one can track their body weight and do numerous workouts to help burn fat in a fun way. Not all games require as much active moving as Wii Fit or Dance Dance Revolution, but one can not blame these games for causing obesity. One knows that sitting around and not being active is not completely healthy. Video games are a source of entertainment, and should be played in moderation. Lobbyists continue to push for the regulation of gaming, even with the evidence of its beneficial factors. Besides their claim that video games cause obesity, they also say that it causes violence.
There have been bill proposals in states to try and regulate gaming. These bills have been deemed unconstitutional. Why? Because the Supreme Court knows that video games aren’t the source of violence in America. People don’t choose to kill other people because they enjoy shooting people in video games. For some reason, people like to put the blame on video games. When Cho-Seung-Hui (the Virginia Tech killer) shot and killed 32 people, critics were quick to blame the shooter game “Counter-Strike,” as the cause. It couldn’t have been that he was just a lunatic? Or that the problem was that he could even acquire a 9mm semiautomatic handgun? There is a lot more to America’s culture of violence than video games. Maybe politicians should start looking elsewhere for the source of violence in society, because it is not in gaming.
Politicians and the media should be looking at the data from studies done to see the positive impact video games have on people. From improving eyesight to reducing weight, certain video games work to better the health of people. Also, it seems a bit outrageous to blame video games for violence in the world. Games like Counter Strike and Call of Duty, where the object of the game is to kill as many enemies as you can, don’t cause people to actually kill people in real life. That is an absurd connection to make. It’s time to stop bashing games and to start praising them for their beneficial qualities.