by Brandon Ramsey

Created on: June 17, 2010

Saying that a video game is bad for a teenager is just like saying educational programming is bad for a toddler. Video games sometimes contain factual information that is absorbed by gamers as they play through the story just as a small child learns lessons as they watch their kid’s shows. Small children learn basic skills such reading, counting, and math while still being entertained. Video games can be considered educational entertainment for teens.

Video games may seem like they come without lessons, but most video games help teenagers hone unteachable skills. Critical thinking is an important skill that is vital to success in games such as Civilization IV or Age of Empires. Gamers are required to not only make sure their country expands faster than the countries of others, but they are also expected to create battle plans to ward off invaders and attack other countries. First Person shooters, although considered to be harmful to teenagers’ minds, are actually complex in the skills needed to be successful at them. Not only do gamers need to have lightning fast hand-eye coordination, but they also need to be able to outsmart opponents by making quick decisions as they play. A lot of games even incorporate puzzles now. Assassin’s Creed 2 had random puzzles throughout the game that the player had to solve to unlock more information about the storyline. Most people assume that games are all bad but games help teenagers hone skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and hand-eye coordination.

Although video games do help teenagers improve upon certain useful skills, there are numerous problems surrounding video games. Studies have shown that gamers generally tend to be overweight. This isn’t a problem caused by video games. Anything that is overdone can cause problems. Video games in moderation aren’t bad. Video games only become bad when they become an obsession and restrict the teen from doing anything else. Weight gain, violent behavior, and lack of success in school aren’t caused by video games. They are caused by lack in moderation of video games. This responsibility rests within the parents of teenagers, not the game developers.

When a study about video games is done, it always vilifies video games and portrays them as bringers of obesity, violence, and idiocy. But, video games do have educational merit to them. The bad consequences of video games aren’t caused by video games; they are caused by over exposure to video games. Over exposure to anything will always bring problems. Video games aren’t bad for teens; irresponsible, unregulated gaming is bad for teens.

Learn more about this author, Brandon Ramsey.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.