Game Over

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Game Over With the press of a button, one can enter the fascinating world of video games, have an adventure, travel through time and space, become a super hero, and let their imagination run wild, all while having fun with friends. Video games have evolved from the simple Pac-Man to the illustrious Halo 4. However, as time passes, these infamous video games have obtained a bad reputation. Throughout the years there have been many misconceptions about video games. Many people consider video games violent, aggressive, and a complete waste of time, but I strongly disagree with this. Although many people consider video games as a negative influence on children and teenagers due to the violence and distraction from their studies, critics do not realize that a variety of video games contribute to socializing, education, health, economy, and are just plain fun. Adolescents spend a large amount of time playing video games daily and it has been shown that certain video games, such as Grand Theft Auto, can increase the player’s aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Many of America’s popular video games now contain violence. In Grand Theft Auto, the player participates in theft, prostitution, and violent behavior, which encourages them to perform these behaviors in order to advance further in the game. On top of that, they teach the player that there are no consequences for causing harm to others and gets rewarded which makes them think crimes are acceptable. If the gamer plays these video games too often, he/she will think violence is fun and can subconsciously learn these actions which can cause them to be violent themselves. Many of the crimes that are occurring these days lead back to the criminal playing video games ... ... middle of paper ... ...sking abilities to be enhanced. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare the player gets a small experience of how it is like to be at war. They get to choose their own type of equipment such as guns or explosives, and fly airplanes. Video games currently play a substantial role in our culture as more than half of all Americas play some type of video game. ( Green, Bavelier, 2 ) Although the advancement of video games has gotten a bad reputation, there are still multiple ways that they can be used as helpful. If the right actions are taken, many negative consequences can be avoided and there can be positive outcomes. There will always be a market for violent and sexual video games. (Kearney, Pivec, 500) The time we spend is up to us. Online multiplayer gaming has become a hobby of many Americans and the trend toward online gaming should continue.(Green, Bavelier, 28)

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