Suburban Susan's Perspective

"Recently I've noticed that my children, a 6 year old, 8 year old, and a 10 year old, have been getting more and more interested in video games. All 3 of them were lobbying me to get them an xbox one for Christmas this past year and so now we have one in the household. I've heard a lot of things from friends and on the internet about violent video games and the effects they can have, so I've been making sure to keep an eye on what they're playing. With this new addition to my household I've started doing some research of my own, and there are a LOT of studies on the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior. This is pretty concerning, the amount of studies on the subject alone puts up some red flags. I don't want my kids to play some game where they shoot someone and get it in their head that that's an ok thing to do! I've seen a multitude of studies linking violence in games to higher levels of aggressive behavior. These are games! They're for kids, they shouldn't be tailored in ways that support these violent tendencies! One study in particular that I found was linking video games to bullying, and that's a big deal! I have friends whose children have seriously hurt themselves due to bullying, and I don't want my children doing something that will encourage that behavior! Beyond just the violence though, I've also seen several articles about the rampant obsession surrounding video games. That's yet another concern I have with this medium, I want my kids to get out there and live their lives, not stay cooped up inside all day. Clearly there needs to be some change in the video game industry if this is the effect it is having on our children, I won't stand for it and neither should anyone else.”

- Suburban Susan

What GG Inc. Thinks

"Video games have become an integral part of modern society, and have come under scrutiny time and time again for their content. Some time ago, video games were seen as a toy for children, something immature and not fit for anyone other than the youth of our society. But the industry has changed, and so have our consumers. Only 26% of gamers today are under the age of 18, and companies are now marketing towards those 20-somethings that have grown up with the gaming industry. The argument of violence in games affecting growth is largely moot at this point, as the majority of games are no longer marketed towards younger people. Despite this, the ESA reported that only 14% of all games released in 2014 received a Mature rating, meaning that regardless of the change in demographic Mature content is still only a small part of what we produce. For every study attempting to prove a connection between gaming and increased violent behavior, there have been just as many proving more positive effects of gaming. Games have been proven to increase hand-eye coordination, improve problem solving abilities, and increase social, teamwork and leadership skills. There is very conclusive evidence as to the positives of these experiences, and those are truly what should be focused on, how video games can improve our lives.”

- Good Games Inc.

Jonny Gamer's Opinion

"I've been playing video games for a long time, I picked up my first gaming controller when i was 5, and I've seen both sides of this argument. Obsession and aggressive behavior are serious, real problems that can be caused by excessive gaming. But 'Excessive' is one of the key words there, because the vast majority of people who play games don't end up in those situations of obsession and violence. You only really hear about the bad cases because those are the ones that get media attention, they're more interesting than the stories about a quadriplegic finding joy in life again from being able to play games with a modified controller. Yes, there are downsides to video games, but there are also tons of positives that often get ignored by the media. The communities for online multiplayer games are incredibly tight-knit, I've met some of my best friends through them, and the social support provided by fellow gamers has helped me through a lot of rough patches in my life. Gamers are constantly beset by arguments from parents and other older people about how games are anti-social or can stunt your social growth, but I have to disagree. Multiplayer games like World of Warcraft connect players with thousands of other people across the globe and allows gamers to make legitimate connections with them. The most important thing to consider in this argument is that there ARE both positive and negative aspects to gaming, and as a community it's our duty to look at both sides of the argument as objectively as we can. Neither the pros nor the cons can be ignored, and it's up to us to find a middle ground.”

- Johnny Gamer