Instructions:
1. Place coin in slot.
2. Press the Red Button to Enter.
3. Select games.
4. Begin Play
- 1. Place Coin In Slot
This was how video games use to be operated. Video games have been around since 1958. What started as a small coin operated machine has evolved into so much more. Video games went from coin operated, to home consoles with remotes, to games with wireless remotes, and then games that didn’t need remotes at all. Video games has been enhancing ever since it was created and it will continue to enhance.
One of the first machine operated video games ever.
To read a timeline for video games please read on at: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/gamestimeline1.html
- 2. Press Red Button To Enter
Pressing the red button always means it’s a danger zone. A lot of people believe video games cause violent behavior, but that isn’t the case. Video games are beneficial and aren’t the cause of violent behavior.
There are so many video games out there and not all of them are violent video games. I remember growing up and playing Pac Man, Mario, and King Kong. All of these games have a little violence in them. For instance in Pac Man, we have to eat the little dots and when the eaters turned different colors we had to chase them and eat them. This doesn’t mean we go out and eat people when they change a different color, does it?
- 3. Select Games
Now video games have changed since when I was growing up. Now there are such video games that relate to war, theft, and fighting. Some games include Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and UFC. Even though these games have violent actions, it doesn’t mean a person will become violent after playing it. War, theft, and fighting have been around since way before video games. These video games mock what goes on in society and what is already being done by people. These games are played by both kids and adults, but games are rated as rated M for mature. Parents buy these games for their kids and they are the ones that are responsible for how they act out from it.
Did you know that 65% of US households play video games? And no it isn’t just the kids playing. 49% of gamers are between the ages of 18 and 49. The average gamer is 32 years old.
What exactly is violence? “A game played by electronically manipulating images produced by a computer program on a television screen or display.” (Video) Violent video games cause violent behavior. This is what some of you might say, and though very few people become violent or behave in a violent behavior, video games aren’t the main cause for it.
According to the Entertainment Software Association, “Violent crime, particularly among the young, has decreased dramatically since the early 1990s. During the same period of time, video games have steadily increased in popularity and use, exactly the opposite of what one would expect if there were a causal link.”
What we should be worried about and looking at is what’s causing violent behavior. “Numerous research studies have concluded that a complex interaction or combination of factors leads to an increased risk of violent behavior in children and adolescents. These factors include:
• Previous aggressive or violent behavior
• Being the victim of physical abuse and/or sexual abuse
• Exposure to violence in the home and/or community
• Genetic (family heredity) factors
• Exposure to violence in media (TV, movies, etc.)
• Use of drugs and/or alcohol
• Presence of firearms in home
• Combination of stressful family socioeconomic factors (poverty, severe deprivation, marital breakup, single parenting, unemployment, loss of support from extended family)
• Brain damage from head injury” (Understanding)
All of these things listed above can influence violent behavior. Nowhere does it state that video games are a cause of violent behavior.
Video Games are beneficial in more than one way. Playing video games can inspire some people to want to make their own video games. This can motivate them to go to a science school or a technology school to learn how to build up video games. When they create it, it can become a success and they can get a job with a design company. The possibilities video games can open.
- 4. Begin Play
Video games can help kids grow skills. “Some researchers who study electronic gaming believe that it may provide the “training wheels” for computer literacy. The design features of the most popular interactive games have been found to improve skills such as spatial visualization and visual attention.” (Key) This shows that video games can be beneficial for kids who play and learn from video games.
Another benefit from video games is that it is fun. If people weren’t having fun, they wouldn’t be playing them. Families use to use board games to have family game night. Now with the evolution of video games, parents can join their kids and play video games to engage in some family time. “According to a national survey conducted by the National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF), 92% of children and adolescents ages 2-17 play video games. [In the same study,] more than two-thirds of all children ages 2-18 live in a home with a video game system.” (Key) If families are allowing them to be in their home, they might as well use it to connect with their kids.
Now if we are playing video games we need to play responsibly. Play On.
Get up and Play!
Works Cited
“Computer Space Video Arcade.” Cartoon. Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbtvFT5uHZ5A2Sgmkcrma0ysEV2Ie-u1_ugnF-HpsEo8j58413eA>.
“ Key Facts: Children and Video Game.” The Kieser Family Foundation. N.p., Fall 2002. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <http://www.kff.org/entmedia/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=14092>.
“Understanding Violent Behavior In Children and Adolescents.” American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry. N.p., 2010. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/understanding_violent_behavior_in_children_and_adolescents>.
“Video Game.” Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <https://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=video+game&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=ev-2Tp3UNMmHgwep6ZGlBA&ved=0CCIQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=3baf3e166be93664&biw=1366&bih=624>.
“Video Games Live.” Cartoon. Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJufjbUf-u2ixFD81v4cWnmUQxfjxazFwR5Z9piIW9Xw5IqyM_>.
“Violence.” Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <https://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=violence&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=tAK3TvmGFuS02AWv-tHMDQ&ved=0CEYQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=3baf3e166be93664&biw=1366&bih=624>.
