One of children’s biggest pastimes is hunkering down in-front of the old tube and playing video games. While of course the fist thought is to recommend that your child’s access to games and TV is limited, as an advocate for good old outdoor play. Nonetheless we all know that moderate video game usage isn’t necessarily harmful and true there are some educational games out there, though if its a nice sunny fall day and your child wants to play Wii soccer I highly recommend the good old reality based version of the game and saving the Wii Fit for a rainy day.
However the days of Ms.Pac-Man and Galaga are long gone and video games have taken an almost sinister turn in their general development. While there are still games on the market with a good educational twist, most are purely entertainment and many are just plain violent.
Various studies have linked video game violence to increased aggression and excessive game playing to lower grades. Prolonged exposure to violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior, anxiety, bullying, and desensitization. The link has been so strong that it has now been made part of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ official policy to help doctors and parents create a “safer” media environment for kids.
While true not all children watch TV or play games that expose any level of violence and then turn violent. I myself came from the era of ‘Cowboys and Indians’ and grew-up doing target practice both at the Arcade and the range, knowing full well where Dad hid his guns (under the bed) not once was there an inclination to use them…we knew the value of their destruction and the strict safety that went with them. Nonetheless it appears that video games are growing increasingly more violent and push the moral boundaries of what was nothing more than innocent play.
I was once again brought to light of the issue of violent games when I came across the recent article posted on Care2, which gave a listing of, “10 Shockingly Violent Video Games“. The Common Sense Web site also posted last year, “10 Cool Games That Are Uncool for Kids”.
Children and teens spread the news about their favorite games quick and violent games are no exception. Thus I hope you will use the above mentioned lists of violent video games to help yourself and your children make informed choices about what games to play.
To learn more about video games and ratings, go to the Web site of the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
