A question on video games

Video games are harmless in and of themselves. If you are seeking a moral type of entertainment and you find a moral type of game, then yes, they are harmless fun. But that can be taken too far. Should you find a game that is less than moral or deals with subjects that most people would consider immoral, and you play it, and act based on those video games, I think that they can be dangerous--but in and of themselves, video games are not harmful. Actions that come out of them are.

I agree with Chaiyaprovo that it is the actions that are influenced by the games that are bad. Games are meant to be a faucet for living fantasies, it's the people that aply those fantasies to real life that cause the problems.

Sorry, but harmless or not harmless they're an incredible waste of time.
And don't folks have anything better to do?

I disagree. You see, video games have evolved from something as simple as Pac-Man or Pong (which, I have to say, WERE a waste of time) to an art form, encompassing graphic design, concept artistry, music composition and sweeping orchestral scores, accesibility, scientific theory, historic research(I wouldn't know half of what I do about European history without the catalyst of gaming), and just plain inventiveness. I mean, how incredible is it that we can, with our technology, with numbers and variables and sets of integers, go back to Ancient Greece and experience it like the Grecians actually would?

Every once in a while a video game comes along that really shines and shows these qualities, and pushes the art form further; take Half Life 2, for example. It had a storyline fit for a Hollywood trilogy, with superb acting and tense music, and a built in physics engine that allowed you to manipulate the world around you. How amazing is that?

The problem with today's audiences is that they want instant satisfaction and gratification, causing game creators to pump out addictive, time-consuming games aimed directly at people who are easily persuaded and hooked, such as World Of Warcraft (which does nothing at all with the genre. It's simply a cash cow). People who become addicted and begin to put into practice the necessities of the in-game world in reality are the ones who give video games a bad name. Of course, this happens with other art forms, well.

Look at rap or grunge music, and at the people who are influenced by it, committing crimes, doing drugs. Look the hippie movement of the seventies, where the cultural style took a bad turn, and nearly the entire nation got high. Look at movies and the people who become inclined to be "just like that hero" or "try that awesome stunt".

All I'm saying is, all art forms can influence and mess up peoples' lives if they're not responsible enough to realize it's not reality. Ever read the essay "The Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong" by Tim O'Brien? (If not, do so. Amazing piece.) It's like the girlfriend in it says: some people can handle the pressure, but others simply can't.

And g-blogger, how many games have you played? Or, more importantly, which ones?
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Fear the clones.

I disagree. They aren't a waste of time. Some people enjoy video games. Dance Dance Revolution for example, is not influencing children or people to be antisocial. Its fun, a great way to excercise, and work towards XD.
I would have to agree with Chaiyaprovo though. They are harmless until taken too far. There are harmless video games out there, and some that are quite disturbing.
Its a way to have fun. >_>

Video Games are alright...to an extent. I know kids who go home and play video games for 4 or 5 hours. Some skip doing their homework, and in turn, fail classes. All because of video games. But, on a rainy afternoon I sometimes enjoy going to my best friends house, laying on her bed, and playing video games. We race cars in down town Las Vegas, and we talk about nothing. So i guess that video games are OK to a certin extent.

It is true that videogames can be addicting. That is obvious. It is also true that continued behavior or indulgence in a certain habit can influence a person's thoughts. Someone who plays Halo all the time is probably thinking of Halo a lot every day. Thoughts lead to behaviours and behaviors lead to actions. I'm not saying that playing a videogame is going to turn a person into a zombie, but the fact is that video games can have a substantial effect on a person's behavior, depending on how much time is spent playing the videogame.
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"if it's wierd, then i done it right."

Well, I play Company of Heroes, a very violent World War Two game all of the time. Does that mean every waking second I think about blowing up Nazis? No! I have the responsibility and common sense to see that these games are fiction and GAMES, and should be treated as such. It is the individuals, and not the games, that make the problem.
"Who is more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Last year, I played video games all the time. In fact, I got quite addicted to video games. Well, suffice to say, my life started to slip. My grades dropped from an A+ to an A... I never got any exercise... and I didn't appreciate the finer things in life. Despite this, I do not feel that video games are harmful by teaching violence. I can easily make the distinction between games and reality. However, video games are a huge waste of time.

This year, I made a pledge to myself. Basically, it was that I would utilize every second of the day to its maximum potential within my power. Basically, that mean no games, very little TV, and only movies that have a powerful message. Since I did this, my life has been getting much better. I have had time to exercise more, put more time into my business, and appreciate the beauty in nature around me. Basically, I have ceased to be a destroyer and have become a creator. In essence, I ensure that every moment of my day has a positive impact upon me, whether it calms me down, makes me money, or builds relationships.

I like video games that have a good plot to them, and that aren't bloody, or mindless killing. I like Ultimate Spiderman, and Super Mario Smash.
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"if it's wierd, then i done it right."

I've played a video game before at my friend's house, and it wasted half an hour of our play time. I agree it is a waste of time, it can make you wear glasses even if you didn't need them before, damage your learning skills and much more. Video games is totally a waste of time. Take my word for it.

I rarely ever get to play video games cause we don't have them at my house. So I like to play them at my friends' houses. I get "addicted" to them, but that's just me since I play them like once every couple of months. I think some video games are fun like Mario and other racing games. So, basically, it depends what kind of a person you are, like if you play them too much, and it has an effect on your grades. Or if you play the violent ones, and your mind is all violent. Me, I stick with Mario cause in my opinion that's what I call is fun.

Many people here are assuming that the stereotype of "violent games make you violent and stupid" is true, but you all have neglected to think that perhaps the chicken came BEFORE the egg.

That, maybe, JUST maybe, violent kids with disposable income like to play violent video games? That maybe, kids who are less academically gifted than others, and are feeling the stress and unfairness of the world on their shoulders, feel secure in a game world where everything is dictated by fair rules and set integers?

If you were in their shoes, wouldn't that make you feel more secure about your self-image in a society, in a world, that judges your every movement, interaction, overreaction, underreaction, dress, and look? Isn't that what games are all about? Immersing you in a new and different world that is beyond the silly fads and damaging societal groupings that plague the middle and high schools, and maybe even college or workplace?

There are several posts here claiming that games bring down your grades and make you violent, but where's the proof that they weren't like that before? How do you know that it's not, perhaps, the gamer's choice, but your choices and the way you treat him or her that makes them resort to the security of their video games?

How do you judge a teenager, usually the most scarring time of a human's life, if you've never been in their shoes?

"Who is more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?"