The world is becoming more and more computer and electronic centered.  Kindergartners now take computer classes at school, and a large percentage of homes have some kind of electronic gaming system, or allow their children to play games on the computer.  There’s no getting out of the fact that electronics are a part of our kids’ lives, not just for school and work, but also for entertainment.

It’s this entertainment aspect that worries us, especially when it comes to violence in video games.  We hear over and over that there’s a link between violence in video games and violent behavior in children.  Fortunately, that view is becoming more balanced by studies that show that this isn’t always the case.

MIT professor Henry Jenkins discusses eight pieces of conventional wisdom about violence in video games which just are not true, or are not true in the ways people usually understand them.  His article, “Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked,” discusses some of the studies that have been done, and the truth about how video games affect our kids.

The myths about video games that Jenkins discusses are:

1.    The availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence.
2.    Scientific evidence links violent game play with youth aggression.
3.    Children are the primary market for video games.
4.    Almost no girls play computer games.
5.    Because games are used to train soldiers to kill, they have the same impact on the kids who play them.
6.    Video games are not a meaningful form of expression.
7.    Video game play is socially isolating.
8.    Video game play is desensitizing.

He goes on to show that not only are all of those common ideas false, that in most cases their opposites are true.  In fact, in some cases, violence in video games can be cathartic for kids.  If kids are struggling with feelings of aggression or anger, it can do wonders for them to take those out by beating up an alien, which might them prevent them from beating up another child.

Obviously all parents have to make these decisions for their own kids.  Just because video game violence isn’t as damaging as we thought it might be doesn’t mean that any sort of video game content is appropriate for kids.  Video games have ratings on them or a reason.  Games rated M for “mature content” are not designed for kids at all, but are made for adults, who comprise the larger part of the gaming market.  Adult content in any context is not appropriate for kids.

The key is for parents to pay attention.  If your kids are asking for a certain game, look it up online and see if it’s something you want them to have.  Talk with them about the pros and cons of it.  They can understand and appreciate your thoughts on things, and might have some arguments that you hadn’t thought of.  The most important thing is that you have the facts, and then discuss them together.

1. Cane Steve, March 8, 2009:

   Thanks for nice parent awareness blog.

2. holly tedrick, April 10, 2009:

   thanks my 10 year old and husband are big gamers. mom is not so it drives me crazy the games they play and i worry often that it is too much or too violent i feel better reading this and my husband will be thankful that i may stop nagging him

3. Sherry, May 5, 2009:

   It’s nice to know that video games aren’t so bad. I agree though that the main thing is to keep in touch with your kids and know what they are doing. As for video games, I think they are fine in moderation, like anything else.