“Don’t hate the game, hate the player”
The 21st century is here. Technology has grown in the past twenty years, and along with it, gaming. Gaming introduces a number of experiences from medieval times and battles, futuristic worlds and technology, and even current day life and conflict. But in order to immerse gamers into the game, they have to make it realistic, and that very concept spawned violent video games. Sadly, today’s society believes that teen killers like James Holmes, Adam Lanza, and others were violent only due to their gaming history, which included violent video games. Society also believes that these violent video games cause and increase violence and violent behaviors among kids and adolescents, which is incorrect. Video games do not cause violence. There is no viable evidence that violent video games do as explained. Studies also show that video games benefit mental health and strategies, and relieve stresses. As stated above when it comes to the belief that violent video games make people violent, there is no actual evidence that supports that claim. Actually, there are studies that show just the opposite. Michael R. Ward, a professor of economics at the University of Texas says that “over the past 20 years, as video game sells and popularity increase, the number of juvenile crimes has decreased” (learnliberty.org). Even Kyle Adkins, an Indiana Statesman from Indiana State University agrees by stating “in 2007, most boys played video games either for relaxation or to let their anger out. According to procon.com, even though violent video games have become more than four times more popular, the violent juvenile arrest rate has dropped 49.3 percent.”(Sirs.com). Instead of looking at the mental health of teen shooters who play video games, they look at their hobby and blame that for that for violence. It is not fair to blame someone’s hobby for their crimes, especially when that claim affects so many. In fact, for every day, hour, or minute a person is playing a game, that person is not committing a criminal act. Ward also said “for every 100 percent increase in violent video game consumption led to a 1 percent statistically measurable decrease in violent crime.” While it’s not a very huge margin, that very statement still disproves that theory that video games cause violence.
Some people believe that video games ruin your brain on top of causing violence. That is a false belief. Gamers can remember multiple stages, weapons, dialogue, mechanics, and other applications integrated into games. And not only do they remember those applications, they remember them for multiple games as well. Games also increase hand eye coordination, which is why you never see gamer looking at his or her controller. They do not need to because they know where the buttons are, and that’s not just the full scope of it. They know how to press them and in what sequence they have to push them. So this just does not build hand-eye-coordination, it also builds memory. Games do not decrease brain activity. As a matter of fact, there are puzzle, strategy, math, and technical games that include real life mechanics. “Video games improve spatial navigation, memory, reasoning, and perception.” according to Lisa Bowen, a woman associated with the American Psychological Association. When gamers lose in a game, they have to restart and reevaluate their strategy. This boosts the improvement of memory and reasoning. Some games have a “one time strike” play style, which forces you to think quickly and react quicker so you don't mess up like the first time. This builds a mental complex in the brain that makes that person forever think quickly. This is not an overnight effect either. Only lifetime gamers have had this effect applied to them. Lifetime gamers are gamers that have been playing since they were five, six, or younger. Most games even include real life
