by Chris Simpson

Created on: May 04, 2008

GTA IV's April release will have an impact on students exam results. However, not all students who play the game will experience negative grades. There will, of course, be students who choose to go on a video game binge for several weeks, because they NEED to finish the game as quickly as possible. But there will also be students who choose to play GTA IV and can handle playing in moderation, thus leaving time to study. Students who realize that their grades are more important than a game will be able to play and enjoy the game and find a happy balance between entertainment and success. Students like that will be in the minority. Many students who got GTA IV on its release date of April 29 will probably still be playing it, and will continue to play until they beat it, and even more than that. GTA IV is loaded with so many new features than the previous games and will continue to entice gamers for many months to come. I personally know of students who will put off studying to cram in just a few more minutes of play time. It's sad that today's student thinks that they can accomplish more by playing a game than applying themselves in school. Exams are one of the most important parts of school, and are often followed by this great big, empty period called summer vacation, where students can play all day and night without too severe repercussions. If only students were able to see that far down the road, they would see the light at the end of the tunnel and put off playing that game and study for exams. Our future as a country and society will be better off because of their choice. School is one of the most important aspects of our lives, and many children don't or can't go to school. Those children also don't have the luxury of playing the new hyped up game. It's disappointing that students today who are lucky enough to have both take the more important one for granted. Students should be encouraged to stop playing and start studying so that they will become productive members of society. Most schools don't realize that gaming is really an epidemic and therefore don't have policies against gaming. To boost scores and counterbalance the negative impact that is sure to follow the release of GTA IV, it might be in schools' best interest to implement some study time into regular classes. Scores would go up, students and schools would benefit, and students would be happier because they can play their game without worrying too much about exams. It certainly is a happy medium, and definitely a better thing than letting students achieve grades under par.

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