It seems like the phrase “video game violence” is bandied about in the media every day now. Video games have taken the blame for incidents of teen violence in recent years, from systemic gang violence to one-of tragedies like Columbine.
Yet in this “media panic”, a media-induced hysteria about something that actually isn’t as negative as it is made out to be, it is important to take a step back and think about the facts.
Parental neglect, a low sense of self-worth, and other human issues are much more likely to have an effect on your teen than any digital game. Even children are capable of making a distinction between what is appropriate in real life and what is okay to do in a video game. The closest thing to video games that existed before video games became popular were comic books, which also contained a lot of violence and bloodshed, yet few people blamed them for societal problems. Video games are no more likely to induce a bloodthirsty rage in your teen than comic books.
Not only are video games unlikely to harm your teen, but there are actually advantages to playing video games. Gaming is a way of reducing stress, and a safe outlet for aggression. They can help improve mental skills like deductive reasoning and logical problem-solving, and their interactive nature is more likely to keep the brain active than watching any TV show.
The chances that your teen is among the very few whose mental health might be affected by video gaming are remote. If you know your teen has problems distinguishing between fantasy and reality, encourage him to play less violent games like Final Fantasy and Super Mario, and monitor the ESRB ratings of the games he purchases.
Emotionally, video games can help a teen feel a sense of belonging or self-worth, and he can escape from the pressures of real life: adults telling him what to do while expecting him to be independent, you at least partially controlling his life at home, and his peers pressuring him to do or not do things. He can release his frustrations in a safe way, taking them out on characters or computer-controlled artificially intelligent rivals, rather than his peers in real life. Before video games were invented, teens had to join gangs to achieve the same ends.
Video game systems like the Nintendo Wii also provide another benefit: physical exercise combined with fun activities. Without leaving your home or risking serious physical injury, your teen can golf, ski jump, play tennis, and figure skate to burn calories and get in shape. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and improve your teen’s mood, too.
The cognitive, physical, and mental benefits to playing video games far outweigh the remote chances of them causing harm to your teen. In fact, you and his grandparents would benefit from gaming, too! Consider purchasing video games that interest you, whether they are simple games like Super Mario or physical games like Dance Dance Revolution or Wii Sports, and make gaming a family activity.
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