by Shawn Schafer

Created on: December 08, 2008

I believe that; compared to some other ways teens could spend time, video games are a good thing. First off, a teen isn't going to get into any real trouble with video games. And video games are more mentally stimulating than television. True, some teens become obsessed with video games and their grades and/or social life can suffer. And there isn't any exercise involved in the activity. But games can also be a social activity and don't become an addiction for the majority of teens, plus the kind of teens that will spend all day in front of a video game and not exercise are generally the kind who wouldn't exercise anyway.

Video games can be a safe and fun social outlet. I know that as a teen I had hours of good times with my friends playing video games. We would sit down on my buddie's bed and play split-screen shooters like Halo or fighting games like Soul Caliber. We'd laugh and joke and eat snacks and just have a blast in general. None of us particularly liked sports, so video games were and still are a great way to have fun when we hang out. You could argue that it wasn't the most productive activity in the world, but it certainly wasn't destructive. We weren't out drinking, doing drugs, or vandalizing property. Video games and table-top board games gave us plenty to do when we hung out.

Which relates directly to my next point. For the shy, quiet type who isn't into sports, video games are a way to kill time. During high school I wasn't really into any extra-curricular activities so after I went to school and got my homework done, I still had loads of time on my hands. Video games were a great way to kill time. True, there are other things that also cause some mental stimulation, like reading for example, and I did that too, but video games are at least much more mentally stimulating than television. Which is better, a teenager spending hours zoning out on TV or spending hours actively engaged in his or her favorite video game? Neither probably sounds great but at least the latter is an active state while the former is a passive state.

Some would argue that teens tend to spend too much time on video games, and that their social lives, grades, and health suffer because of this. This is true in some cases, but contrary to what some believe, this is the exception, not the rule. The truth of the matter is that in most cases video games aren't the real cause. A teenager who doesn't care about his or her grades or about staying fit generally will find excuses

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