Video Games

In New York City, fourteen year old Nathan plunged to his death from the top floor of his high rise apartment building after being up for 48 straight hours playing Assassins Creed. In Little Rock, Arkansas, twelve year old Braden ran away from home after his mother took away his Xbox games. Several months later, a short distance from his home, he was found dead. Sixteen year old Robert, from Orange County California, stabbed both of his parents to death when they took away his Xbox gaming system. In Los Angeles, California, fifteen year old Liam went on a shooting spree killing five people, two of them police officers. After stealing the police car he crashed it into a tree and killed himself. He had spent months playing Grand Theft Auto. Sixteen year old Paul, and his best friend fifteen year old Daniel, of Fort Wayne, Indiana shot and killed nine people and wounded twenty more when they opened fire at a movie theatre. They then turned the guns on themselves in their own version of Call of Duty.

Violence has become so commonplace in society that it is no wonder children have started mimicking the behaviors that they see. With so many children left to their own devices while their parents are out working it is not surprising that so many of them are turning to video games for entertainment. And when parents don’t set limits on their child’s gaming habits, it’s easy for things to quickly spiral out of control. It has been found that children without parental limits for game playing are playing upwards of sixty hours per week, while children with parental limits play less than thirty hours per week, a drastic difference. Video games have become a huge part of our children’s lives, and with the increase in violence we are seeing i...

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...pletely as they cannot be under our watchful eye twenty four hours a day. However, there are things that we can do to decrease the negative impact that violent video games can have on our children. Know the ratings of the games your children are playing and do not put gaming consoles in their bedrooms. Set limits on how much time your child has to play video games each day and monitor the child’s internet use as there are many online games available. Discuss with your child why you are setting time limits and restricting the content of the games they play. Talk to them about your feelings on the issues of violence in the games and make sure you also listen to their feelings as well. Finally, share this information with other parents, let them know your views on violent video games and share ideas on how to effectively keep these games free from your home.