I remember the days when music was blamed for all the evils in the world. We live in an age where a person can blame their troubles on a video game because video games have reached mainstream attention. Like the media, many among us are quick to lay blame on external influences in our society rather than looking at ourselves as the source for our own trouble.

A circus of media and Internet publications will swarm down on the video game industry if a single deranged individual points their violent tendencies on a recently played game. If a person feels the urge to hurt another individual, chances are they've already made that decision far before they’ve played the next Grand Theft Auto. We don't live in a perfect society and we can’t stop our TV, Music and Movies from displaying acts of extreme violence. Many people feel the need to blame something or someone for their own negative actions.

I asked other random gamers on three unique Internet forums to point out positive influences in video games and weighted those against known negative influences. These are their responses:

Kurisu7885: “The Sims, especially, can teach you money and time management, and can teach a good amount of interior design and home design.”

Hannah: “My arms and shoulders are still hurting from playing Wii Sports with my boyfriend over the weekend. I tend to exaggerate the motions, so it's definitely a workout.”

Garrett: “Some RPG's teach you math and organization. Although, newer ones make it easier on you, it wouldn't be unusual or a bad idea to have a notebook next to you to write important details down. In my early days of playing Wasteland, I had no less then a dozen pages filled with stats, locations, characters and puzzles.”

::Idiot:: “I think games are simply a new age in media. Not that it is going to overthrow moving pictures or books, but it is a new mass media. It does give you an experience that you can't achieve from books or movies or TV or radio. It's taken us a little while to get here, but there are quite a few game in our day that really show how we can be taken into exotic landscapes and epic adventuress in a way that isn't the same as reading a book. Not to say that games can only do it differently one way, but in many ways.”

Karuto: “It gives you something to do when you're bored. At this point in the stage, it's become an effective medium to keep occupied. If we get more games like with the Wii and Dance Revolution, it'll definitely be right up there with Recess as the best recreational activity.


Salohcin: I think it is a great way for friends to get together. For example, just the other day my friend and I were hanging around the house doing just about nothing. We ended up starting a co-op game of Gears of War and had a ton of fun.”

Darkcraft: It helps relieve stress and it is fun. It's a social activity, great way to meet new people. They lets us run with our imaginations and bring life to things that aren't possible in the real world.”

Koroshiya_Ichi: “Education wise you could argue how most games greatly cover problem solving, recognition/observation, contextual analysis, empathy (you can read WW2 diaries as much as you want and some are incredibly moving, but games can just reach a level of immersion that books, movies and TV never will) cultural trends. Obviously not EVERY game covers ALL the above points, but I could create an in-depth list of those which do.”

Dulac: “Games gets rid of my anxiety when the levels are a tad bit high. Gives me something to focus on and I forget about my worries. The reward system in games gives you a feeling of accomplishment as well. That can help with self-esteem I think. Computer skills improve if you're a PC gamer. Your hand eye coordination improves. I agree that it helps reading skills, since there are storylines to read. I think it can help keep kids away from drugs. I know I cannot play games when drunk.”


I went on to ask the same people, “If the games can yield positive results why can’t games have a negative impact such as violent tendencies?”



Garrett: “If I play a game with a gun, did I just learn how to properly handle the gun after playing the game? The answer, according to the U.S. Army, is no. After creating the game America's Army, a FAQ was posted indicating that very question. There's no way that a present game can give you the recoil, the exact amount of pressure needed, maintenance, etc., needed for you to become some kind of professional, or even an amateur shooter.

Likewise, regardless on how realistic the graphics are, I can't learn how to fly an airplane or a car. Some programs are created to help you learn how to do it, and people do indeed train in them, but these are not games for fun, this is a specific educational program to help you drive or fly. If you don't do the real thing, you aren't even close to know what you really need to know.

I also don't have it in me to kill a person with a shard of glass, put a plastic bag over their heads, or have enough muscle & finesse to ever take someone's head off with a Louisville Slugger. I would say that there is a large percentage of the folks that are avid game players that have no interest in going out and committing violent acts. But I suppose there are a number of violent people that play them. They also probably watch TV and movies, read books, and live in a society, family, or environment that creates a violent atmosphere, with or without video games.”

Koroshiya_Ichi: “I think (as is the case with all creative and entertainment mediums) it's greatly down to context. People argue all the time "the artist was trying to say this, the artist was trying to say that, you're interpreting it wrong THIS is what this 'art' is about" which I find is utterly irrelevant crack. Art of all forms is 99% interpretation; once it's been completed it becomes the audiences to do with what they wish. An artist can express themselves or certain ideas, but at the end of the day you cannot control how someone is going to perceive or react to anything. This is the beauty of art but is also (in terms of large scale society) its downfall. The context within which something is interpreted can greatly affect the way it is processed, and its effects expressed.

There are always going to be people whose experience with certain films, games, music whatever pushes their mental state over the edge. It's not one single things fault, the dynamic of human emotion is far too complex for anyone with half a brain cell to even entertain such a concept, but it as equal an ingredient as everything else.”

Dragonlord: “There's one problem with this ‘games make violent’ talking: you reduce games to a tiny segment! We can discuss about ego shooters causing violence but this is one tiny segment. There exist sports games, puzzle games, racing games, card games, adventure games, educational games, even things like karaoke games. Now somebody come and tell me an educational game makes you violent or a card game makes you violent. Ok, people got shot in poker sessions if somebody cheated but that's a different story. So games are in general a happy thing as only a small segment ( small in terms of one of many segments not in number of produced games for this segment ) tends into the ‘violent’ category.”

::Idiot:: “,It does promote violence. Pretty much the same way Catcher in the Rye inspired that guy to kill John Lennon. We can get violent from playing games. But not all games are violent; I actually like to keep away from gore unless it's done to an excessive amount or in a really good game. Where the blood or killing don't really affect you much. Yes, games are more impressive than the other forms of media; it's probably the thing that makes it so likeable in the first place. It's also the thing that makes us maybe want to imitate what we play more than what we would see on something like Jackass. Should we ban games because of it, or tighten up our rules a bit? I can see a game like Loco Roco cheering up a kid who's kind of been in a bad mood for a while. I mean, you just feel happy playing the game, it's got great game play and just everything is made to be fun. It's great. Doesn't last long but it's great.”

JoeX11: “Whether or not a video game can make a child violent is almost irrelevant. Many studies have been conducted and the best answer anyone can come up with is "Inconclusive." The more pressing issue is not whether these kids are being made violent by what they play, but how they are able to get their hands on games not meant for them.

Nobody wants to blame the parents. There is some social stigma that says we cannot point a finger at a parent and say, ‘Hey, if you had provided a better home atmosphere for your child, maybe they wouldn't have run away and become a hooker and later died of an STD.’ We don't want to think that. We want to say, ‘Oh, it's the game; it's the television show; it is the radio and the books they read and all of the means of societal interaction that we should be taught by those that raised us and weren't.’”

Does a video game truly make you violent or does it make a violent person more creative? If a young person is raised on violent games to teach them life lessons in place of correct parental guidance, who really is to blame?

Younger children are highly influenced by those around them and this includes video games. A responsible parental figure should recommend against children playing violent video games until they are old enough to understand the realities of violence. This is why ESRB rating board was invented. I enjoy video games (I'm working on a First Person Shooter) so don’t get me wrong when I label them as violent as they are.

That said, I also believe it is important to vocalize that games do cause happiness, tranquility and a distraction from everyday life when everyone points to games as the root of all evil. If a game can promote a positive feeling then the opposite can also be true. For every game that makes an individual feel happy there is a good chance a game exists which can make an individual become violent.

So, please do me a favor: When you’re playing a video game and you win or achieve a locked mission ... go high-five someone. Hug a loved one. Help an old lady across the street. When someone stops you and ask "Why you are in a great mood?" tell them that video games make you do nice things.

Unfortunately, the media will never cover that story.