Video_Games

Video games are becoming more and more popular in today’s world. The popularity of video games has rapidly increased since they were introduced in the 1970’s. “The U.S. video game market reached nearly $10.5 billion in sales in 2005. With the projected world-wide market expected to grow to $46.5 billion by 2010 (Business Week Online, 2006).” Talk more about this quote! The technology used on these video games has expanded as well. A whole new variety of games are now available to children. The age of the children playing these games has also gone down significantly in the past years. Parents should not allow their young children to play video games, due to the many negative effects on the child. These effects include, and are not limited to: addiction, violence, and obesity. I have a four year old brother named Matthew, who is addicted to playing video games. Every day he wakes up eagerly awaiting to play his favorite star wars game. But to his dismay, his hopes are dashed as his mother forces him to play outside in the warm sunshine, instead of staring at the preferred television screen. Matthew has been banned from playing video games until further notice. Sadly, the games have taken a hold of my youngest brother. He is no longer allowed to play the game, or even watch it. Yet, he still tries to sneak into the room and watch his older brothers play, while shouting instructions at them in the background. He is usually spotted by my mother, and escorted from the room. This leads him to run around to the opposite side of the room, peering forlornly through the glass doors. He looks as if he has lost his best friend. There are now age ratings on all video games, these ratings tell the purchaser what ages the games are appropriate for. The ratings are as follows: EC (early childhood) for children ages three and up. E (everyone) ages six and up. E10+ ages ten and up. T (teen) appropriate for ages thirteen and up. M (mature) meant for ages seventeen and older. And finally, AO (adult only) for those aged eighteen and older. Video games can be very addictive to players of all ages. The players get a rush from winning an opponent, passing a new level, or beating high scores. Some children feel a constant drive to get better, higher scores. This fascination with the game soon becomes addiction. Some of these games have a rating for children three years old and up. I strongly disagree with that age section. I believe that three years old is much too young to start playing video games. I have learned from experience that these games can cause children to prefer playing indoors on a television screen, than to playing outdoors in the fresh air and sunlight. These young years are also critical for many developmental stages in a child. Add in page about child development, quotes from jamesonn book and old health book. Find an article. Second Page with actual practitioner quotes, and website against video games for young children…legislative action' Besides the fact that children are beginning to play these games at too young of an age, there is also an issue with the higher rated games. These game ratings are simply an outline, and are not enforced. It is considered the parent’s responsibility to monitor their child’s games, and to check the game for age appropriateness. Still, many young children are able to purchase these higher rated games without parental consent. As of yet, there is no law against children buying video games that are above their age bracket. A twelve year old could simply walk into a video game store, and walk out with a mature rated game filled to the brim with blood and violence. Some government officials are now taking action against under aged children purchasing video games. “[Illinois] Gov. Blagojevich has proposed a law to make the sale of explicitly violent or sexual games to under-18 consumers a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a punishment of up to a year in prison or a $5,000 fine. He also wants to require video retailers to label games for content and post signs in their stores explaining the rating system for the games (American Press Institute 2005).” Need to expand 6-8 sentences on this quote, needs lots of fluff!!!! Violent video games seem to be on the rise. These types are the worst kind of game a child can play. Violent video games have been directly linked to violent behavior in studies by psychologists. “However, studies by psychologists such as Douglas Gentile, PhD, and Craig Anderson, PhD, indicate it is likely that violent video games may have even stronger effects on children's aggression because (1) the games are highly engaging and interactive, (2) the games reward violent behavior, and because (3) children repeat these behaviors over and over as they play (Gentile & Anderson, 2003).” Explain quote. Expand on this idea for at least a paragraph. More fluff. Violent video games are even more damaging than violent television. In video games the child is required to participate in order to witness, or in some cases cause the violent image to appear. Instead of simply observing the violent action on the television. The children also often identify themselves with the violent characters. The game is often seen through the eyes of the killer, which is also the player. Children playing these games may also idolize the characters they play, such as a character that looks strong and dangerous with a sharpshooter gun. These games often have the player assign themselves to a character, where the child will often give the character his own name. Therefore the children personally identify with the character, and feel like they are making the kills. Too repetitive, change it up. Add new concepts and ideas instead of saying same thing over and over. Violent games usually progress by the player achieving certain levels. To continue to the next level, players will often need to achieve a certain amount of points which are usually gained by permitting a certain act of violence. Thus, the child is rewarded for committing a violent act. These games also contribute to aggressive thoughts in young children. How often does a person hear a young child scream “I’m gonna kill you!” to someone or something that has angered the child. Violent video games teach children to be aggressive, and ultimately desensitize them to the horrors of pain and death. All video games can cause obesity, whether they are violent, educational or non-educational. These games, with their addictive quality, can cause children to prefer playing them to doing anything physically active, such as playing outdoors. “Environmental and behavioral changes brought about by economic development, modernization, and urbanization have been linked to the rise in global obesity” (American Obesity Association, 2005). Modernizations, such as video games, and behavioral changes have led to a rise in obesity. Add in more about obesity. Obesity statistic/rise in numbers quote. Old health book. Expand idea. Our country is very concerned about personal image at this time. We need to teach children healthy eating and exercising habits, instead of how to move a game controller. Obesity is a huge problem in our country, and video games are a large contributor to the dilemma. There is also the problem of children playing these games for long periods of time, with no limitations. Parents need to instill time limits on their children’s game time, or the children could simply sit there for hours, staring blankly at a screen with drool hanging from their mouth. There are many studies that show how long children are spending with their games, and the ease of the games access. “A study of over 2,000 8 to 18 year-olds (3rd through 12th graders) found that 83% of them have at least one video game player in their home, 31% have 3 or more video game players in their home, and 49% have video game players in their bedrooms. In the same study only 21% of kids reported that their parents set rules about which video games they can play, 17% reported their parents check warning labels or ratings on video games, and 12% reported they play video games they know their parents don't want them playing (Roberts, Foeher, and Rideout, 2005).” Explain quote more! Needs lots of fluff. Gotta reach 12 pages!! Children need to be monitored while playing video games. If allowed, some children will play for hours. The time spent on these games usually overrules the time set aside for homework. Thus, some children may be sacrificing their education for playing video games. I cannot condemn all video games as bad. There are many good educational games on the market right now; they can be beneficial to children if they are simply given a time limit. These games give children a fun time, while teaching them valuable lessons. “Since games are often challenging, but do-able, they are often also pleasantly frustrating, which is a very motivating state for human beings. To achieve this, good games allow players to customize the game to their own levels of ability and styles of learning” (Gee). Explain/expand quote…Video games are very motivational; children are always trying to reach the next level, which can be conveniently set at their skill level so that they will not feel overwhelmed. We can be proud if these video games help children reach for the next level of knowledge. These games also prompt children to learn problem solving skills, give practice in following directions, and relieve boredom. Video games can be used as a positive entertainment for a child, if used in moderation. I interviewed my young brother Matthew on Wednesday May second, 2007. I asked him why he enjoys playing video games so much. He had just been kicked out of the room where his older brothers were playing. He tearfully responded “I just do.” When I persisted, he confided in me that he loves being a winner. “I just like to shoot those bad guys, like darth maul, because when I get them, I beat the boys, and…I am just the best.” I thanked him for answering my questions, and walked away while trying to keep a straight face. As I was leaving, I glanced back to see Matthew with his eyes glued to the television screen in the other room, and his nose pressed up against the glass door separation. I asked him if he would like to go out on the swings with me, he was silent for a moment, then with a heavy sigh, agreed. In conclusion, I believe that allowing children to play any type of video game at a young age is a bad idea. Even educational games can become addictive to children. The parent needs to decide when a child is mature enough to start playing these games, if ever. Violent video games need to be considered with extra care. Parents should know what games their children are playing, and the full contents of the game. Their children will also need to be monitored while playing to prevent too much playing time. Allowing children to play video games is a parent’s choice. Parents should consider all the variables of video games, and make an informed decision on if, when, and how often they allow their children to play these games.