by John Jessen

Created on: July 21, 2007

Video games are not corrupting our children, video games reflect a change in our society, a sort of change every society experiences and continues to experience until its demise. Technology changes, and with changing technology comes changing hobbies and habits.

Parents see their kids stuck in front of a television screen, with game controller in hand, performing what to them must look like strange twitches of the wrist and inhuman bodily gyrations. Many parents believe video games are corrupting their children because their child will neglect to do homework, refuse to go outside, or avoid running down the block to a friend's house. What parents don't understand that children have been doing something of this nature for hundreds of years.

No matter how you slice it, children have a history of avoiding work, especially work forced upon them. Doing homework has never been anything but a bore to the majority of kids, and they have always found some other thing to obsess over that comes with parental disapproval. Kids spending all their time playing games on the computer is no different than kids wasting their studying time perfecting that jump shot in front of the garage, combing over the latest X-men comic book, or listening to chit-chat on the radio.

Many people see time consumption as the corrupting factor of video games, but people are known to spend a lot of time doing anything they really enjoy. Right now it is 2 in the morning and when I should be fast asleep, I am staying up to write this article. I just love to write, but that does not mean it corrupts my mind. Like any activity, video games should be played in moderation.

People unfamiliar with video games do not understand the value they bring to the development of a child's mind. Like any new activity, games force children to adapt to something new. Learning a new game can be complicated, and can require thinking a child isn't used to. Even the most simple games build problem solving skills and quick thinking. Counter-Strike is a First Person Shooter where the objective is to simply defeat the opposing team by either killing the opponents, planting a bomb, or rescuing a hostage. Although the objectives are simple, the game play is varied and dynamic. Players slowly learn their field of play, and adapt to changes in play-style of their opponents. When under fire players will have to think fast among a large array of actions. Players will get to know each other and work together to plant a bomb or rescue a hostage.

Video games aren't just a replacement for yesteryear's time waster, they actually develop social skills and problem solving techniques, both of which are necessities in today's competitive job market. Kids chat with players and make friends online, and with each new game learn new ways to think about something. If anything, video games are creating a brighter future for our children

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