by Andrius Davydauskas

Created on: May 15, 2009   Last Updated: May 19, 2009

Are violent video games bad for children and teenagers ? This debate has been raging on the television, Internet and social conversations for years. After the infamous Columbine High School incident in 1999, the number of these debates only skyrocketed. From what I have noticed, most parents do think, that violent video games do have a negative impact on our youth and I completely understand why they think so. A huge part of todays video games are violent . Some, like the infamous Manhunt , show murder as a fun activity.

First off I've been playing video games, violent and non violent alike, since I was three years old and as a teenager in my late teenage years, I can tell you my opinion based in what I have experienced through my life. The playing of violent video games didn't have any impact on my aggression levels. I have no urge to be violent and am just as calm as anyone my age, maybe even more. I have never been unable to distinguish between game and reality and I play games not because of the violence, but the same reasons I love basketball. Entertaining competition and a feeling of accomplishment.

What does trouble my is that most parents don't understand or don't care about the game ratings. I've never played any "Mature" rated games when I was 10 years old and the only "Teen" rated game I had when I was young was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, so that might have been a factor in normal growth. Countless times I've seen a parent buying Grand Theft Auto to a hyperactive eight year old. And it does seem a bit scary, when seeing preschoolers running around with toy guns and screaming " I killed you ". This is an obvious sign of bad parenting.

Another and probably the most dangerous effect ( specifically massive multiplayer online games ) is addiction. Games like Everquest Online, World of Warcraft, Lineage 2, Eve Online, Guild Wars and many, many more require an enormous amount of time to become successful in them. Because of this, many gamers ( including children ) start spending hours upon hours in front of the computer screen, trying to pursue their goals in the virtual world and forgetting about the real world. Before they know it, they become addicted to the games. I know a lot about game addiction, since I and many of my friends were addicted to Lineage 2. I didn't even notice until I was spending up to ten hours a day playing that single game. Nothing else was interesting to me. I didn't think about anything else except Lineage 2. The first thing to suffer was my eyesight. Before Lineage 2 I had perfect eyes, now I am wearing glasses. The second thing was my school work. My grades fell quickly. My social life suffered as well. The only thing I wanted to talk about was Lineage 2. The person who helped me overcome my addiction was my father. His strict control of my PC usage helped me and I thank him for it.

Video games do have a positive impact. Puzzle and strategy games help in the developing of a young mind even the infamous and addictive World of Warcraft can teach about teamwork and helping others, but there has to be parent control. Video gaming is like wine. A small amount can be harmless and even a little helpful, but not knowing when to stop will turn you into an addict before you know it. I hope you enjoyed my article and please understand, that this is only my own personal opinion.

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