The Advantages of Video Games

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The video game phenomenon is somewhat new in this modern society. Despite being designed for entertainment, in the recent years the content has become more violent and disturbing. Due to the increasing popularity of these violent videogames, there has also been an increase of controversy regarding the negative effects these games have on people’s minds. Concerned parents and experts think that these games are too violent, which has led to demands made towards the government to control the sales of these games. However it is also strongly believed that video games do not cause an increase of aggression in adolescents. What the media ignores are the many positive effect of videogames we cannot find in other forms of media. Parents, experts and other individuals should stop being afraid of video games and instead should try to consider the positives of this underappreciated medium. Surveys show that 90% of children in the UK play video games and 70% of the heads of household also play video games. This means that the average age of gamers is 33(Bavelier, TED). Society is changing and games are becoming not only a key part in entertainment but also in education and child development. Millennials, Individuals born between 1978 and 2000 (Madland 2), grew up playing video games. These individuals mostly grew up playing the arcade and home video game systems also known as platforms, such as Atari, Nintendo, Sega and PlayStation and computers, were already popular before they began school. These individuals have participated in the technological revolutionthat followed such games as Pong (released by Atari in 1973) all the way to the games we see today such as, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and World of Warcraft. ... ... middle of paper ... ...e these games are to children. Video game developers have integrated parental control systems in their games in order to help concerned parents limit their child’s playtime. Works Cited Anderson, Craig A and Brad Bushman, “Comfortably Numb effect of violent media on helping others Ebscohost 12/11/2013 Chatfield Tom “7ways Video games reward the brain.” Ted talks conferences 20/11/2013 Mitrofan, O., M. Paul, N. Spencer. “Is Aggression in Children with Behavioral and Emotional Difficulties Associated with Television Viewing and Video Game Playing? A Systematic Review.” Child: Care, Health and Development 35.1 (2008): 5-15. Ebscohost. 21/11/13 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Data and Statistics.” CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 12 Dec 2011. 22/11/2013

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