Isakhunov1

Amir Isakhunov

Mr. Martin Butler

Literature

29 January 2018

Persuasive Essay

As said by Ray Bradbury, “Video Games are a waste of time for men with nothing to do.

Real brains don’t do that.” The man has a respected name in the world, but that quote has been

agreed and disagreed with, by millions of people. Video games have been an important part of

people’s lives, and while they are getting plenty of recognition due to events like Esports and E3,

they aren’t doing so well among the parental and in general, older generation. There is no doubt

that video games are not appreciated enough by the older generation and are rather brushed off as

a waste of time. There is no doubt that, violence and aggressive behaviour caused by violent

video games, is a myth. There is no doubt that video games, nowadays, are a very common form

of entertainment and that most people enjoy them because they are simply fun.

There is no doubt that video games are not appreciated enough by the older generation

and are rather brushed off as a waste of time. Those who believe that video games are indeed a

negative influence, say that they don't teach us anything and that they are just wasting our time.

That is an understandable concern, however, that is why there's a clear difference between video

games and things like homework. They teach a person critical thinking. They teach people how

to strategize, find an alternative solution for a difficult scenario, and make you think outside the

box in general. For example, as said by Nolan Bushnell, an American engineer and founder of
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Atari Inc., “Video games foster the mindset that allows creativity to grow.” This shows that the

creators of the first ever video games, originally created them as a place for your mind, and not

just a form of useless entertainment. By inventing video games, the developers created a whole

new universe for the player’s imagination; a universe that they can dive into, a place where they

can feel free. In addition, Wayne Brady, an american actor, said, “Gaming gives me a chance to

just let go, blow somebody up and fight somebody from another dimension. It’s all escapism.”

This just shows how even some celebrities see videogames as a way to relax, and or take your

anger out on an NPC. This is how video games should be seen by people. In brief, video games

shouldn’t be treated as a waste of time, but rather a unique way of learning, relaxing and

predominantly, having fun.

There is no doubt that, violence and aggressive behaviour caused by violent video games,

is a myth. Those who believe the myth, say that bloody and ferocious battles in video games

influence young players in a way that produces a harsh and savage attitude in the real world.

That is an understandable concern, however, that myth has been scientifically debunked, yet

people still believe it. While conducting an experiment, Sage Journals states, “Participants who

preferred violent games, and age were linked to higher levels of aggression.” That is an

understandable concern, however recent studies have proven that there is no long term links

between consuming violent video games and real world violence. For example, the majority of

the population use common logic to solve disputes. Due to a single coincidence, everybody

comes to the conclusion that the two topics are correlated. A blog on Huffington Post by Zac

Thompson, states, “The the whole idea of video games causing violence was just one single

claim made by Jack Thompson. The man was a lawyer which is why the claim was so
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universally agreed with. Thompson’s claims didn’t really get him anywhere, but the idea

lingered.” This shows that it’s better to check your child beforehand and make sure that they

don’t have violent tendencies, rather than making false assumptions and blaming a completely

unrelated topic. As long as the child had no mental issues before obtaining access to the games,

then games simply just don’t have the power to remake a child into a sociopath and change their

judgement. “It doesn't matter how many digital avatars you've slaughtered, you aren't going to

have an easy time killing. Even soldiers, in war, struggle with the act,” Forbes.com declares.

This shows that when people say it’s common logic to accuse violent video games of causing

real world violence, if you think about it, it’s not so logical after all. It’s nothing but a

propaganda. An accusation that uses coincidences as a supporting argument, but no actual proof.

In summation, there is zero proof that brutal video games cause adolescents to perform violent

acts.

There is no doubt that video games, nowadays, are a very common form of entertainment

and that most people enjoy them because they are simply fun. Those who believe that video

games are just a time killer, say that it is nothing more than a fun activity, and that it doesn't

really teach you anything. That is an understandable concern, however, video games satisfy three

important needs for all human beings. Those are competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

iThriveGames.org made a blog on their website where they answer the question, “Why do we

play video games?” The answer was, “They help players feel masterful. Great video games get

harder as the player progresses through them and they ensure that you are challenged.” This

proves that video games make you feel competent, they give you the sense of completion and

achievement. When you see your character level up, or acquire a rare item, you feel
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accomplished. The second need is Autonomy. The feeling that you have control over the world

around you, the part of the game that lets you choose your own path, customize a character, and

gives you overall freedom. Autonomy is a very important part of a person’s life, and every

well-constructed game knows that, and has given the player this opportunity. In addition, as said

by Lawrence Steinberg (participant in the iThriveGames blog), “Becoming autonomous is one of

the most fundamental developmental tasks of adolescence.” This shows that videogames are

more important than people think they are because they help their player become autonomous.

Finally, the third need is relatedness; the desire of being connected with others. Multiplayer

games such as Overwatch, World of Warcraft, connect players. They make them feel like an

important member of a group, the sense of being helpful to the team. It can cure a child’s

antisocial behaviour and even help meet friends online. Ultimately, video games aren’t simply

fun, they are a life changing experience. Video Games make you feel competent and

accomplished, autonomous and powerful, and most importantly, they make you feel related.

They are a unique form of entertainment that hold the player’s hand as they grow up.

In conclusion, video games aren’t a waste of time and they do not have a bad influence

on children and teens. They are not anymore important than homework and other learning

methods, but they still teach a good lesson. If parents were to see what video games are truly

capable of, then their view on them just might change. As the creator of Mario, Shigeru

Miyamoto, once said, “Video Games are bad for you? That’s what they said about rock-n-roll.”
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Works Cited

Kain, Erik. “No, For The Millionth Time, Video Games Don't Cause Real World Violence.”

Forbes​, Forbes Magazine, 4 Nov. 2016,

www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2016/11/04/no-for-the-millionth-time-video-games-dont-c

ause-real-world-violence/#2b2173d35ffd.

Milani, Luca, et al. “Violent Video Games and Children’s Aggressive Behaviors.” ​SAGE Open​,

vol. 5, no. 3, Oct. 2015, p. 215824401559942., doi:10.1177/2158244015599428.

Thompson, Zac. “Do Violent Video Games Cause Violence?” ​The Huffington Post​,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Apr. 2017,

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/do-violent-video-games-cause-violence_us_58f64c4ce4b0

156697225316.

“Video Games Quotes.” ​BrainyQuote​, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/topics/video_games.

“Why Do Teens Play Video Games?” ​IThrive​, 5 Jan. 2017,

ithrivegames.org/why-do-teens-play-video-games/.