Sheena VanCott

Term research Paper

Comm 1500-001
Art Kanehara

Whether its playing them to escape from reality, or to get some

exercise, or just to shoot some stuff, video games have been a longtalked-about hobby for many children, teenagers, and even adults. The
question that always seems to arise in society is, what are the positive
and negative effects of being a gamer? Well, that depends on the
type of game that is being played. To answer this question, lets take a
look at what kinds of games there are out in the world today.

Types of Video Games

There are many different types of genres. There are Action
games. Most action-based games are normally geared towards a more
mature audience. Now what constitutes a mature audience you ask?
Usually, this consists of the more adult world. But what responsible
adult actually has time to play anymore? I know I dont (sadly). So that
leaves teenagers and younger children. Ever since the very creation of
video games, this is something that parents around the world have
always been concerned with. What age should a teenager or child be,
in order to play a mature titled video game?
Well part of the problem in trying to answer this question is that
not every parent, parents the same way. So, is there really an answer

to this question? One that would make every parent and child in our
big world satisfied? Probably not. It is really up to them to decide at
what age they consider their own children mature enough to play a
mature titled video game. There is definitely logic behind any parents
concern towards violent video games. They dont want their children
getting any kinds of ideas. But what they may not understand is that
they can get the same ideas, if not worse ones, just by turning on the
news and seeing what we are doing to our own society.
At least when a teenager is playing a video game it is a make
believe world. It isnt real. Although there have probably been more
than one situation where a teenager or child got a violent idea from
playing a video game. But, Would anyone really know that unless it
was brought to his or her attention, or if they figured it out for
themselves? And what if it was just a coincidence? These are questions
that there are just too many answers for and not enough time to weed
through them all.
A lot of the gaming community turns to the Adventure and
Role Playing type of games because they are less graphic than action
games and typically have an element of surrealism and/or fantasy. Now
part of the controversy involved with video games is that they are
highly addictive. These are definitely the more addicting genre of video
games, which can be considered a negative impact on the people who
play them on a regular basis. These include games such as Final

Fantasy, which most people have at least heard of. Depending on who
you are talking to, these games are known to cause problems in many
relationships, social lives, or lack there of.
Some of the benefits of this particular genre are that it gives people a chance to
escape from their everyday lives. When they are stressed out, they can forage for gems or
use magic spells to defeat ogres, and goblins. In a game such as The Sims, you can create
your own ideal family with babies, and what you envision your dream house to be. Not
your ideal family in reality? Its okay. Your son has straight As in your Sims game.
Healthy? Probably not, no one should ever replace his or her real family with a video
game. But its a dream world. Maybe it shouldnt be taken so seriously, by anyone,
including the people that play them and the people around them, such as their families,
and friends.
In a 2011 study of more than three thousand third through eighth graders from
Singapore, one in ten were considered pathological gamers, meaning that their gaming
addiction was jeopardizing multiple areas of their lives, including school, social and
family relations, and psychological well-being. Gender may play a factor in game
addiction: A study conducted by Stanford University Medical School in 2008 found that
males are two to three times more likely to than females to become addicted to video
games.
When it comes to the genre of Arcade games there really arent many negative
impacts on our society. They are really just based around good fun. That being said, the
only aspect as far as a negative impact, is that there may be a small amount of violence,
usually blood, in some of the arcade fighter games, such as Mortal Kombat, or Street

Fighter. The biggest benefit games like this offer is a fun way to spend some time either
with family or away from them for a day. Usually enjoyed outside of the home in an
arcade setting, but can also be enjoyed inside the comfort of your own home.
Strategy games are in the genre that usually challenges the question, how can
video games benefit us? Simple games, such as Chess or Solitaire. Games that challenge
the mind. It can even go as far as games like Tetris or even Frogger. These are all games
that require you to use a sense of logic or smarts in order to succeed within the game. The
negative impacts of these games are fairly minimal. There usually isnt any sort of a
violent characteristic in these games. So they are safe for younger generations to play and
enjoy.
Simulation games, such as SimCity are something that can prepare someone for
the idea behind what it takes to keep the world running. Other than the fact that these
games can be very time consuming, there arent many negative impacts to these either
than the occasional bad language.
Driving games like Grand Theft Auto or Need for Speed tend to be either really
kid friendly or not kid friendly whatsoever. So they are usually very on the fence, rating
wise. Parents often need a trustworthy employee to tell them whether or not these games
are okay for their children or teenagers to play. Generally the audience includes teenagers
that are soon to be licensed drivers themselves. This game, in no way, is a means to teach
someone how to drive. Thats like saying Guitar Hero makes you a musician. *Scoff*
Luckily we have a genre out there that is pretty safe for just about EVERYONE to
play and that is the Puzzle genre. The benefits are similar to that of the Strategy genre
where there are times where you need to use your brain in order to beat the game

successfully. Fortunately, there are almost no negative impacts to this genre. In fact, this
is probably the most positively impacting genre there is out there. Most people enjoy to
play these games alone, or collaboratively with friends or family.
There is a way that people can tell which games could potentially be a negative
impact in any way, and that is by the rating that a video game is given.
Game Ratings
-

Early Childhood- Meant for young children

Everyone- The definition is in the name. These titles are generally for all ages.
Everyone 10+- Again, the definition is in the name. These are suitable for ages 10
and older. May contain more cartoon, fantasy, or mild violence, mild language

and/or minimal suggestive themes.

Teen- Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. Generally contains more

violence, language, some blood, some strong language.

Mature- Suitable for ages 17 and older. These are usually the titles that most
parents have troubles buying for their teenagers, understandably so, because they

are generally the most negatively impacting games.

Adults Only- These are generally only for 18 and older. Includes prolonged

intense violence, graphic sexual content, and gambling with real currency.
Rating Pending- This usually only appears only in advertising, marketing, and
promotional materials related to a game that is expected to carry a rating, and
should be replaced by a games rating once it has been assigned.

In conclusion, if your teenager has been pre-exposed to a history of violent or

aggressive behavior, probably not a wise choice to buy them video games of a mature
nature. Pay close attention to these ratings when purchasing video games for your
children. Although a lot of different kinds of games do have a tendency to be on the

violent side, we need to remind ourselves that the games themselves are just that,
games. They are not real. Just like movies or TV. It can all have both positive and
negative affects on people.
Just like a fantasy world has positive and negative affects on society, so too, does
our reality.
Citations
-

Caruana, Vicki, Chris Caruana, and Olivia Bruner. "Types of Video Games."
Focus on the Family. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.

Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. "Addiction

and Other Concerns." Media & Culture: Mass Communication in a Digital
Age. Ninth ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 98. Print.