"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
- Johnny Gamer
Suburban Susan Replies: "I appreciate the fact that you are looking at both sides of the argument here. The positives of these games do seem worth looking into, but from what I've seen the negatives far outweigh them for me. Regardless of whether these games improve my children's social or coordination skills doesn't much matter to me if they're also driving them to violence and obsession. I certainly think you're right that the issue needs to be looked at from both sides to get a more objective perspective, but none of the positives excuse the negative effects of these games. Something must be done to push the industry away from encouraging violent behavior and supporting obsession for their monetary gain.”
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