reading11 — Social Issues

How do video games impact social issues such as addiction and gun violence? Should video games be more heavily regulated, or is the current ESRB sufficient? Are games a symptom, a cause, or possibly a cure for modern social ills?

There have been many court cases and studies about how video games affect young children, specifically whether or not they make them more aggressive. Last year, I took a course that discussed issues of free speech that included whether or not video game designers should be allowed to put such gruesome simulations to the public. Animations and video games have gotten to the point that they can seem real, but from everything that was discovered and discussed and studied, it did not seem that video games brought children to violence. So, on the point of aggression, I do firmly believe ESRB is sufficient. At some point, parents need to be parents and monitor what they’re kids watch, see, and play.

On the topic of addiction, I think there is more to be figured out. We have so many games out there today that are incredibly amusing, satisfying, time consuming, and addicting. They can be free games on your phone, on your Xbox/PS4, on your laptop. They can be paid games. They are everywhere and extremely accessible. And there’s a good reason for that. They can essentially print money. Ads, micro-transcations, or any attempt to thin your (or your parent’s wallet) are littered around these games. I would say because of the business side of these issues, games are essentially a platform to deliver addiction and take advantage of it onto susceptible individuals out there. There is another side of this though; some people love the entertainment factors. What’s $10 for endless hours of entertainments? Who are we to tell these people how to live? These are the questions that make it difficult to heavily regulate any social issue, including video game addiction.

To fix these issues, I think as a society we need to work to figuring out why certain people become addicted or aggressive and begin to educate everyone on what happens when you indulge in gaming entertainment. Parents who did not grow up playing video games need to be aware of why their children love these games, how they work, and what needs to be done to ensure that there is a healthy balance between entertainment and life.