VIDEOGAMES--DANGEROUS FOR YOUR KIDS??!!??
Video games. One of the most controversial topics of our time. One of the things that get parents constantly scratching their heads, wondering how their kids got into this mess, and how they can save them before it's too late. But don't worry. I'm here to clear some things up.
With the media blowing up over violence of late, video games have received a lot of unnecessary hate. I'm here to clear a few things up for parents.
NEWS OUTLETS BLOW THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION. Please keep this in mind when you consider this. Are games really responsible for mass murder? And why is it, that the very same people who say guns are not the problem, only violent people, are blaming video games? Yes, there have been numerous incidents of health related deaths due to 50 hour sessions of gameplay, but these situations are rare, and often occur in young, unemployed adults, outside of their parents' supervision. There have also been many deaths linked between playing games and real-life crime. BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE UNDERAGE VIDEO GAME CRIMINALS ARE PLAYING GAMES THEY SHOULDN'T BE PLAYING IN THE FIRST PLACE, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN.
VIDEO GAMES HAVE A RATING SYSTEM LIKE MOVIES. The ESRB rates video games E for everyone (G), E10+ (PG), T for teen (PG-13) and M for mature (R RATED, PEOPLE.) Now, there are 27 games rated AO, for adults only, the equivalent to an NC-17 film rating. I am NOT SAYING THAT THESE GUIDELINES SHOULD BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED. BUT THEY ARE GUIDELINES FOR A REASON. Maybe a mature 14-tear-old is ready to play Halo. Maybe your twelve year old gets scared easily and needs to wait on the E10+ rated Breath of the Wild. Of course, every child is different.
BUT THERE ARE SOME GAMES NO ONE UNDER 17 OR 18 SHOULD PLAY. NOT ALL VIOLENCE IS EQUAL. Many games are rated M for violence, but the difference is in the situation. Some games show violence as a realistic depiction of war, or suffering. Some games do it for immersion. And some games do it with alien or non-human creatures. BUT SOME GAMES ARE VIOLENT TOWARDS HUMAN-BEINGS IN NON-REALISTIC SCENARIOS. It's one thing if it's Call of Duty, a WAR GAME, where people are expected to die. It's a completely different scenario in Grand Theft Auto, where the game focuses on CAUSING HAVOC FOR SEEMINGLY NO REASON AND BEING REWARDED FOR IT.
Yep. Not all violence is equal. Studies conducted with sane people show that people may become more aggressive-feeling after playing a violent game, just like they may feel sad after reading The Fault in Our Stars, but no long term psychological effects have been proven. If someone kills someone because of a video game, it is probably because they ALREADY HAVE AN UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL ILLNESS.
THAT SAID, WE SHOULDN'T JUST TEN-YEAR-OLDS PLAY RESIDENT EVIL 7, NOR SHOULD WE LET A FOUR YEAR-OLD PLAY STREET FIGHTER. Keep the ratings in mind as guidelines, and KNOW IF YOUR KIDS HAVE VIOLENT TENDENCIES AND GET THEM PSYCHIATRIC HELP. Also watch for little kids watching their older siblings play, and kids having nightmares from games.
Seriously, if you have kids under 12, just stick with Nintendo for family gaming. Get your 16-year-old a gaming PC for their room if they want to play World of Warcraft, and keep the siblings away. Also if you see your kids getting angry during a session, have them take a stretch break or switch games.
ALL IN ALL, NO VIDEO GAMES WILL NOT TURN YOUR KIDS INTO A SERIAL KILLER, UNLESS THEY'RE ALREADY A PSYCHOPATH, BUT BE CAREFUL NOT TO GIVE THEM NIGHTMARES AND RUDE BEHAVIOR, AND TEACH THEM THAT IT'S WRONG TO ABUSE WOMEN AND STEAL CARS.
Thanks for reading...;)
With the media blowing up over violence of late, video games have received a lot of unnecessary hate. I'm here to clear a few things up for parents.
NEWS OUTLETS BLOW THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION. Please keep this in mind when you consider this. Are games really responsible for mass murder? And why is it, that the very same people who say guns are not the problem, only violent people, are blaming video games? Yes, there have been numerous incidents of health related deaths due to 50 hour sessions of gameplay, but these situations are rare, and often occur in young, unemployed adults, outside of their parents' supervision. There have also been many deaths linked between playing games and real-life crime. BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE UNDERAGE VIDEO GAME CRIMINALS ARE PLAYING GAMES THEY SHOULDN'T BE PLAYING IN THE FIRST PLACE, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN.
VIDEO GAMES HAVE A RATING SYSTEM LIKE MOVIES. The ESRB rates video games E for everyone (G), E10+ (PG), T for teen (PG-13) and M for mature (R RATED, PEOPLE.) Now, there are 27 games rated AO, for adults only, the equivalent to an NC-17 film rating. I am NOT SAYING THAT THESE GUIDELINES SHOULD BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED. BUT THEY ARE GUIDELINES FOR A REASON. Maybe a mature 14-tear-old is ready to play Halo. Maybe your twelve year old gets scared easily and needs to wait on the E10+ rated Breath of the Wild. Of course, every child is different.
BUT THERE ARE SOME GAMES NO ONE UNDER 17 OR 18 SHOULD PLAY. NOT ALL VIOLENCE IS EQUAL. Many games are rated M for violence, but the difference is in the situation. Some games show violence as a realistic depiction of war, or suffering. Some games do it for immersion. And some games do it with alien or non-human creatures. BUT SOME GAMES ARE VIOLENT TOWARDS HUMAN-BEINGS IN NON-REALISTIC SCENARIOS. It's one thing if it's Call of Duty, a WAR GAME, where people are expected to die. It's a completely different scenario in Grand Theft Auto, where the game focuses on CAUSING HAVOC FOR SEEMINGLY NO REASON AND BEING REWARDED FOR IT.
Yep. Not all violence is equal. Studies conducted with sane people show that people may become more aggressive-feeling after playing a violent game, just like they may feel sad after reading The Fault in Our Stars, but no long term psychological effects have been proven. If someone kills someone because of a video game, it is probably because they ALREADY HAVE AN UNDIAGNOSED MENTAL ILLNESS.
THAT SAID, WE SHOULDN'T JUST TEN-YEAR-OLDS PLAY RESIDENT EVIL 7, NOR SHOULD WE LET A FOUR YEAR-OLD PLAY STREET FIGHTER. Keep the ratings in mind as guidelines, and KNOW IF YOUR KIDS HAVE VIOLENT TENDENCIES AND GET THEM PSYCHIATRIC HELP. Also watch for little kids watching their older siblings play, and kids having nightmares from games.
Seriously, if you have kids under 12, just stick with Nintendo for family gaming. Get your 16-year-old a gaming PC for their room if they want to play World of Warcraft, and keep the siblings away. Also if you see your kids getting angry during a session, have them take a stretch break or switch games.
ALL IN ALL, NO VIDEO GAMES WILL NOT TURN YOUR KIDS INTO A SERIAL KILLER, UNLESS THEY'RE ALREADY A PSYCHOPATH, BUT BE CAREFUL NOT TO GIVE THEM NIGHTMARES AND RUDE BEHAVIOR, AND TEACH THEM THAT IT'S WRONG TO ABUSE WOMEN AND STEAL CARS.
Thanks for reading...;)
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