Video games

1. When kids spend too much time playing video games, they reduce the amount of exercise they get. So, too much video games has been linked to obesity in kids.

  • There are some motion video games that need your body to move and fight right there in front of the TV.
  • Most video games don’t require moving.
  • Exercise should be a family decision, and it is not the responsibility of the video game companies.

2. Games can help kids study, and some teachers even use them to improve test scores.

  • Other studies have shown that games can become addicting, and reduce kids’ motivation to do other activities, including studying.
  • Guardians should control the time so they won’t be addicted, and they will always be making some body motion while playing games.
  • Even if games are used for studying at school, that doesn’t mean that kids will use them to study at home. They may just play for entertainment at home.
  • There isn’t a problem playing them as entertainment after school in their free time.

3. When kids play violent video games, it can cause them to become violent in their daily lives.

  • Incorrect. Studies have shown violent video games may cause aggression, not violence. Further, any competitive video game or activity may cause aggression.
  • That can be true, but it doesn’t mean that kids should be allowed to play those games. Parents should monitor all their kids’ activities so that they don’t do any activities that cause aggression or violence. That includes rough competitive sports.
  • Correct, but if the person is already violent. Violent video games are a convenient scapegoat for those who would rather not deal with the actual causes of violence in the US.
  • The violence in video games is very exaggerated. This makes it different from the violence we see in the streets. For example, games show huge explosions or giant guns and bombs that we don’t normally see in our neighborhoods. So, we should try to keep those dangerous images away from the kids.
  • Many risk factors are associated with youth violence, but video games are not among them.

4. Video games can reduce anxiety and depression symptoms.

  • Although video games can reduce some symptoms, they can also increase some symptoms. For example, they can damage your eyesight if you watch the screen for too many hours.
  • There are many other things that can damage your eyesight, and most kids that play video games don’t have any problem with it.
  • Beyond eyesight, there is also problems with “carpal tunnel” syndrome, which is an injury to the wrist from holding the controller too long.
  • If that is the case, then we should ban cell phones because they are always holding those. Also, many games don’t require controllers, they use gloves or something else instead.

5. When kids play too many video games, they start to have difficulty communicating with their friends or families. Instead, they are more comfortable living inside of the game world.

  • The same could be said of the internet. Everything is online, and kids don’t communicate with others for the very same reason because of the internet.
  • The internet is primarily a communication tool, though. Games don’t usually have communication components built inside.
  • Most video games have chat features built in.

6.The Nintendo Wii and other motion-controlled gaming devices seemed to be the answer to kids sitting around playing which led to obesity.

  • This is true, but PlayStation and X-box don’t have those same motion oriented games. Also, many people play video games on the PC, where they are just sitting in their computer chair.
  • In that case, you can set a timer to limit the amount of time you can spend on the device or game.

7. Games help kids to develop their moral compasses, release stress and anger, and learn the consequences of violence.

  • This is true in some cases, but some games actually show good consequences of violence. Sometimes, the goal in the game is to kill somebody, steal something, or do some other violent goal. So it rewards you for doing something bad. This would make your moral compass broken.
  • Even if you block kids from playing the violent games, they will just search for the same type of content online and access it there.