Gamernode: Columns - Video Games: Are they really the cause of all our problems?

Video Games: Are they really the cause of all our problems?

Category: Industry, Posted: 07/01/2007 at 11:35PM CDT by Frank Ling, Editorial Director

Video games seem to be the new whipping boy for all the ills of society lately. They've been blamed for crime, low test scores, overweight kids, bad nutrition, breakups of marriages, breakups of boyfriends/girlfriends, and just about everything except anything good.

What happened? Most of us can pinpoint it to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game where some X-rated scenes were unlocked with an unauthorized mod. After that, the you-know-what hit the fan. Ever since then, there has been an outcry from politicians, parents, concerned citizens and even the AMA about the evils of what we all hold dear to our hearts.

Video games, it turns out, is the perfect scapegoat. Kids aren't talking to their parents anymore? It must be video games (and not because parents haven't spent more than 15 continuous minutes with their kid for years.)

Lots of crime and shooting in the streets? It must be video games (and not because our society has decided that proper values shouldn't be taught in schools or gun regulation needs to be reformed.)

People getting fat? It must be video games (and not because people don't give a hoot about healthy eating habits. Did you really have to eat three slices of pie last night?)

So are video games really at the root of evil in modern society? No...people are. As long as we live in a free society, there will always be those who take their lead for their violent actions from movies, music, books and video games.

It's not legislation that will turn everything around; you have to turn the individual around first.

Frank Ling
GN Senior Editor

Posted by Natoksane on 07/04/2007 at 03:38PM

It appears to me it's just parents who don't want to take the blame that their kid is "screwed up" in some way they were hoping he/she wouldn't be.
I've got a friend who his parents hate him on the computer and try at any chance to get him off of it. They think it's a terrible hobby of his as it's "lazy." Little to they know it's just a modern form of socializing with his real friends and his net buddies. The problem is people are misinformed...

Posted by Quasar on 07/04/2007 at 08:44PM

To give you the flip side of that story. I know a couple of parents who let their kid play Gears of War during the week. All they told him was, "Look, do you understand that this is a game? Is it really right to kill everything that moves?" He said, "Of course not. This is just a game." The parents try to spend lots of time with him. He's almost a straight A student. Has lots of friends and enjoys video games.

Posted by Mercer on 07/06/2007 at 10:34AM

That's right. The reason I don't get A's in College is not because i play video games, it's because I procrastinate and don't study as much as I should. Now instead of studying or working on that paper I do play video games, but it's entirely my fault! And in a kids case it would be more the parents fault for not setting limits on play time! But most poeple dont want to look in the mirror for the problem because it too much for most people to do, not that its the right thing to do mind you.

Posted by wheybags on 05/09/2008 at 06:06PM

I don't get it, why do people hate on Games?
I mean , there are some pretty vilent movies out there, but did any of them get the hate that GTA:IV did?