The Outlandish Accusiastions of Video Games

Video games have been around since I was born. I grew up hearing the sounds of Wii bowling playing on the TV with late-night sleepovers playing Halo with my friends in my old childhood neighborhood. Later in life, video games gave me a chance to play with my childhood friends that were too far away allowing me to keep in touch and not feel left out or lonely that I wasn’t close by.

I’ve always thought nothing but the best of video games and had great respect for what they've done for my life. However, recently as I’ve begun watching the news a growing issue was shown that parents say that video games are corrupting the youth and cause violence in young children. They argue that it can potentially be the reason for mass shootings not only in the States but also in the World.

As I’ve begun to dive deeper into the topic I’ve noticed that the narrative deeply stems from parents witnessing kids play these shooter-type games that I once played as a kid. Now I’m just one kid in a vast array of people but I’ve never thought about killing or hurting someone just because I was angry, and according to research video games actually benefit people mentally just like it allowed me not to feel left out from my childhood friends.

One study was done by Mrs. Coyne at Burningham University highlights the efforts that gaming can do to help individuals instead of hurting them. By analyzing multiple people from kids to adults she discovered that video games are a great coping mechanism to help alleviate depression and anxiety. This also helps with connecting to others in times where that may be impossible as in a pandemic or great distances.

Video games can be a great way not only to kick back and relax after a long day of work but also a way to connect to others and just keep in touch when maybe it might be hard for you. If you're having a bad day try throwing on some Wii bowling and you might feel a tad better.