Violence and Video Games

Sorry for the lack of posting for a while, but I became very busy...so it has come to this. I have a query about violence and video games that is fairly standard, but it still keeps coming up. Do video games cause violence? Do they all, do just some, do any? I'll summarize the complaint as "video games make people act violently and ultimately cause violence though indirectly." I think rather than taking on this contentious claim - to say the least - by attacking logic or producing a philosophical argument I will list off the benefits of video games. Before I begin I will give a disclaimer: like any hobby one should be mature enough to know limits.

I caved in and brought a TV soon before finals week so that I could play my Wii more often; I managed to still get a 4.0 my first term in college, despite having a game console. To be honest I didn't and don't play my Wii as often as I want to, partially due to school work and other factors, but I understand how to balance playing with gaming. Playing games for an hour for a day, or for about that length, helps me relax and at the same time concentrate on something that isn't school. Game playing provides an excellent release. It PREVENTS ME from committing horrendous acts of violence, in all honesty.

Naturally I have other ways to calm myself and reduce stress (for instance, actually doing homework). I prize video games due to their though usually simple puzzles that allow me to synthesize knowledge and find solutions to them, even be creative. In Skyward Sword I can't just blindly swing my Wii remote and hope everything allows me through; I have to figure out a solution that can be carried out, rather than simply unloading all of my weapons. Video games encourage problem solving and thinking about the best approach, especially a game like Skyward Sword which introduced a stamina meter. This stamina meter means that one has to ration stamina to a degree and leave a small amount so that Link can still fight enemies. I consider the puzzles and problem solving of video games to be very beneficial for my intelligence; these exercises are not all rigorous and arduous but they help me stay sharp. The Legend of Zelda series provides just one example. If I am playing Pokemon I need to create a team that is strong and can handle a variety of threats, not just one; using a monotype team is, from experience, quite unlikely to succeed.

Finally, I think doing what you find fun is an excellent way to make yourself feeling less violent and angry. Playing is a healthy release generally, except in those few cases where horrendous rage occurs; I think people opposed to video games mistake these exceptions for the general truth. For people who do just rage while playing video games, I think they're just wrong; people don't play games to yell at them. Kamek from Yoshi's Island causes ire, for example, but the game is overall quite enjoyable and jovial.

There are probably other reasons, but I find that the fun, the stress-relieving, and the puzzle-solving games provide generally reduces one's anger and makes them less violent; they also help maintain intelligent thought processes that are helpful in one's day to day life. Being able to use your brain regularly can be considered a related benefit. Video games are more than vectors for violence. I know, many of you are going to think "well duh" and others will mistakenly list studies without truly relating the findings to video games themselves, but video games are quite beneficial I find, not destructive.