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Videogames Don't Have a Negative Effect on Kids Essay example

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Videogames Don't Have a Negative Effect on Kids

There are many things that today’s society worries about; television, role models, etc. The biggest ones are those that affect the children. One that many people overlook is video games, a national past time in almost every home. It is clear that they can cause changes in children, but are the changes good or bad? Do video games have a negative effect on kids?

Personally, I felt there was nothing wrong with video games. I play them for fourteen hours or more a week, and I’ve been doing “fine” in life. I made it to a fine college, I learned unique words when I was young, and I even won prizes in some video game contests. I still have that Star Fox t-shirt even to today. Still, I …show more content…

In “Electronic Gaming Monthly,” there was an article that explained the top five negative aspects of videogames. Isolation: people can become obsessed over a videogame. Shawn Woolley, a young fan of the popular Everquest, committed due to bankruptcy. The game makes you pay-as-you-play, and he played too much. Addiction: people have been known to “forego work, relationships, and even food for the sake of their online play.” Physical problems: many of today’s games have vibrating controllers to give a more interactive feeling. A 15 year-old kid developed “hand-arm vibration syndrome,” burning sensations and inflammation in the hands and arms, due to playing on his Playstation too much. Violence: Senator Joseph Lieberman ran a campaign against Mortal Kombat due to its “spine-ripping gore.” Even Captain Kangaroo was brought in, explaining that videogames teach lessons to kids that would cause a parent to faint. Violence numbing: when a child plays a violent videogame, the terrible news in today’s world barely faze them since they have seen worse in the videogame, even though it wasn’t real.
I was shocked at reading this, and though that this clearly proved that videogames should be taken off the market, but another article changed my mind.

James Paul Gee, a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dove into the world of videogames to see

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