Why Do People Support Videogames?

Many kids and adults have some kind of video game whether it be on the computer, phone, or a game console. So many people think video games are bad for you, your health, and your mind but have no hard evidence to prove it. Here is some hard evidence proving them wrong. Studies have shown that video games, especially shooting or violent video games, improve your eyesight. There is no hard evidence that links violent video games to causing violent crimes. Some people believe the reason that teenagers kill and commit crimes are because of violent video games, but that is not why. It's usually something emotional going on in their life like stress, or something much worse. People believe that video games are bad for us when they really aren't because the tests have shown us just that.

As many as 97% of US kids age 12-17 play video games, contributing to the $21.53 billion domestic video game industry. More than 50% of games have violence. (Procon.org) Video games that have violence have been blamed to have caused bullying, mass shootings, and violence towards women. (Procon.org) An estimated four out of five US households with a male child own a video game system and worldwide series of video games are predicted to reach $102.9 billion in 2017. (Procon.org) Critics argue that these games desensitize players to violence and it rewards players for simulating violence . (Procon.org)

Video games and violence have been a big issue that has been the start of many arguments in today’s society. There have been many studies that have tried to support either side and no one can seem to come to a conclusion. The documentary that I watched, “Are Video Games Really That Bad” by BBC Horizon, was a document showing the benefits of video games and how they do not cause violence in people. Video games can be helpful to many people and can improve concentration, improve awareness, and can stop the brain from deteriorating as fast. These are just a few points that they make in the documentary. These stakeholders are trying to show their viewers that video games do not hinder gamers but instead they help them by increasing brain activity,

Besides the violent contents, video games have several positive aspects. Video games can push children's

Findings supporting these claims also show that with an increase in violence comes other negative health risks such as an increased likelihood of substance abuse, sexual activity, and obesity(Denniston, Swahn, Feldman, and Romero). Media use, and subsequent exposure to violent content is extremely prevalent among 8 to 18 year old children who spend, on average, 7.4 hours a day using media or computers and 80% of teens have some type of gaming console(Denniston, Swahn, Feldman, and Romero) These claims and the amount of media children are exposed to were concerning enough that the American Academy of Pediatrics started making advisory statements about violent video games and media being health risks for children in 2001. (Hall, Day, and Hall) Since then the link between violent games and violent behavior in youths has been researched across many “population groups”(Denniston, Swahn, Feldman, and Romero). The second theory revolves around any positive effects that might be gained from playing these games (Hall, Day, and Hall). Stating that these may offer “safe” outlets for negative emotions and thusly allowing players to be more emotionally balanced. (Hall, Day, and Hall)

A video game is “an electronic game in which players control images on a television or computer screen” (Merriam-Webster). Video games have been entertaining and challenging gamers since the Game Boy to modern console games. Despite the simplicity of the definition of video games, a video game, especially ones containing violence can have a large effect on the gamer. Because of the realism and advancements in the video game industry, video games can influence the player, and can make the gamer more aggressive, even if the game is not a violent video game. Even though video games have grown in popularity over the past decade, some have not been too popular with parents, for the reason that they are too violent. Violent video games affect

o Memory - Playing first person shooter games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield series enables players to effectively judge what information should be stored in their working memory and what can be discarded considering the task at hand, according to a study published in the Psychological Research.

While it has been proven that video games and other forms of entertainment can cause a lack of attentiveness, there is not any real evidence to support the things they have been accused of. I know for a fact that several school shootings among other crimes have been associated with the use of violent video games, but there is not any solid evidence that the use of these video games caused people to perform such heinous acts against humanity. One thing that can be said in favor of video games is this: many people in the world’s population use video games and if video games truly were responsible, society would see far more crimes than are seen with drugs. While drugs do pose a threat some people who use them do so in moderation, whereas most people who use video games sometimes spends hours or even their whole day playing them which seemingly makes them a larger threat, but as was said earlier, many people spend hours of their time playing video games, yet shootings and other crimes are dwindling while video games get more popular around the

Over seventy years ago, Joseph Stalin, leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, made a remark about the ‘democratic’ voting system in the United States. He stated, “...it is completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this — who will count the votes, and how." Joseph Stalin, who once was a totalitarian dictator, was able to see the loopholes in our democratic election process that the American people never addressed, or they simply ignored. An American’s vote no longer matters in the way that it used to; In fact, this is no longer an area of black and white, instead it has changed to an obscure gray field that shadows over all Americans. The prestigious land of the United States, where democracy has been held up for over two centuries, is no longer upholding the belief of one man one vote. Instead, it has allowed the 528 votes of the Electoral College to run rampant and impede on the founding beliefs that all Americans hold dear. Our voting process, with the Electoral College in charge, no longer speaks for the majority of the people in the United States of America.

Video games have been argued about for decades. Some people have argued that video games are linked to violence. However, new research shows that video games can be used for therapeutic purposes, exercise, stress relievers, positive interactive learning, hand eye coordination, and different types of patient treatment for people all around the world.

Although I am not familiar with the customs of Islam, I do believe that wearing such pieces like the burqa is ultimately by choice. Like many religions, there is some sort of scripture that was written as a guideline for the purpose of living life in a certain way. The Koran does require that both men and women should conduct themselves in a modest manner, including attire, however, the Koran does not explicitly state that women must be dressed in garments such as the burka. Therefore, it is women themselves who have either chosen to wear the garment or was forced too due to other contributing factors. To go into further detail, I do believe that some women are pressured to abide by such code of conduct because of strict, religious values of some Islamic husbands who could be classified as possessive or oppressive. With this in mind, other reasons for Islamic women to wear conservative garments maybe due entirely to their religious obligations, while on the other hand, there are women who would just wear a burqa because of cultural reasons.

Video games have become a major occupation of majority of the youth these days. They spend hours on end concentrating on video games, some of which are apparently very violent, yet this is actually the whole idea. Coming from the horse's mouth is an argument in support of video games coined from a video programmer's point of view, stating that violent video games allow people to do what they can not do in reality- virtual reality. ( http://www.theroc.org/roc-mag/textarch/roc-15/roc15-08.htm ) For instance, someone said to be having a bad day could use a violent video game to release stress by shooting down a couple hundred bad men than actually taking an AK-47 and spilling down a few brains down the

Excessive video game playing has been a problem with today’s youth they have had more influences over the youth than ever before. That brings to my attention a question, how do video games affect the youth of our society? Excessive video game playing, especially violent video games, can lead to youth violence, a decrease in academic success and many other negative things. I realize that some parents believe that they can be good for children, I agree but I also disagree in some cases. Some parents allow their children to play video games to keep a social life and to learn how to use strategies. This is true in some cases but not in all cases. For instance, other children that play video games alone and are in their rooms constantly can

“Life is a video game. No matter how good you get, you are always zapped in the end” (“Video Game Quotes” 1). Over time researchers, psychiatrists, and parents have often wondered how damaging violent video games can be to the youth in society. This is an important matter to people with children in their personal lives or work environment. These games have become a large risk factor for aggressive behavior in children. Researchers have been saying that video games do affect adults as well; however, they have even more effect on younger brains in early development. Video games have negative effects on childrens’ behavior. Some effects that video games have are reduced academic performance, aggression, obesity, and emotional disorder.

The globalization can trigger various reactions if brought up in a conversation. Globalization represents progress, economic growth, and hope for a better future; however, critics point out the greed, exploitation, and corruption of globalization. This diversity of views is possibly due to the fact that globalization is inherently complex and involves different economic and social degrees at various national and global levels. Understanding globalization, therefore, requires one to see how all of these factors interrelate and influence each other. Peter and Robyn have done a wonderful job explaining the Globalization in reference to the environment. Peter Christoff teaches environmental and climate policy in the Department of Resource Management and Geography at the University of Melbourne. Robyn Eckersley teaches global environmental politics and international relations in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. There are four main elements Peter and Robyn discuss throughout this book—one planet, many globalizations, Globalization and Overheated Planet, Biodiversity, and Failure of governance.