During my seventh grade life science class, my teacher was teaching us about different fine minerals. When he put up a slide that showcased a black mineral formed by rapidly cooling lava, most of the class already knew what it was: obsidian. When my science teacher asked how we already knew that, a boy explained that obsidian is a popular material that can be obtained in the video game “Minecraft”. He was surprised, as he had seen Minecraft mainly from combat-oriented playthroughs and thought it was a violent game.
Video games have gradually gained a negative reputation over time, with popular arguments against them being that they only cause aggression and attention disorders in children who play them. Task forces on violent media have put out studies that may link video games to increases in aggressive behaviors and thoughts in children, according to a study by the National Center for Health. Many parents ban their children from playing because they fear their kids developing violent tendencies such as increased aggression towards others and attraction to weapons. Video games are also considered as addictive and a waste of time. People may think that showing an interest in video games will lead players to only focus on such, forgoing any essential daily tasks or pursuing traditional jobs and careers. However, this focus on the potential consequences violence video games might cause overshadows the many positive effects they bring.
Blaming violence and aggression in young adults purely on video games and using that to justify banning them is a gross generalization of gaming as a whole. In these studies, after analyzing those and those who didn’t play games, there was no direct correlation between playing video games, seeing violent imagery, and a sudden increase in violent behaviors.
Video games can teach players in unexpected ways, giving them knowledge on things they wouldn’t usually cover in a common school curriculum. Games like Minecraft, despite having violent elements, also teach kids about different plants and minerals in nature, as well as the functions and methods of different professions like farmers and blacksmiths, things that aren’t traditionally taught in a classroom. Other games like “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” can teach players how to manage debt and how to make money efficiently, and many other games have strong puzzle-solving and strategy aspects that give players incentives to sit down and methodically complete puzzles for rewards.
Video games also provide connections between people who would’ve never met each other in real life. Even if some of these connections could be bad, meeting people online is overall a very rewarding experience and can lead to true friendships. In this increasingly digital world, you can also meet people you never would’ve met otherwise over video games. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiplayer games like “Among Us” had a spike in popularity due to the connections formed during games. Even though the game had a dangerous and violent nature, there were no connections to spikes in aggression. Other supposedly violent games like “World of Warcraft” also generate mass community building, to the point where guilds and teams organize in-person meet ups and become real-life friends.
Of course, everything should be enjoyed in moderation. Even though video games don’t have a strong primary influence on violence or aggression and have many benefits, they can still be a distraction from things like homework or studying for school. Parents should not discourage and punish their kids for playing video games, but instead should just moderate the amount their kids play every day while still letting them have fun. Meanwhile, adult gamers should still strive to not waste time in playing video games, but should not feel ashamed of their hobby.
Overall, video games should thought of in a more beneficial light by the public. Video games are an important part of digital culture now, and through playing them people can connect, learn and support each other.
