somebody posted this as a response and i thought it was well written
This topic hit the nail on the head. I have been playing computer games since 1984 or so when computers were just coming out to personal use. Screens were still monochrome and "graphics" were still very limited, usually just ASCII characters. I was also playing console games since around the same time, when Atari was the most popular.
Back then and while growing up I always heard the same thing: "Video games will rot your brain". Back then the majority of gamers were adults, but over time as computers became more advanced and console units became more popular, more and more kids started playing too. Video games were something few adults would let their kids play, and those that did would limit their kids time on them. For many years it was considered bad if your kids spent much time playing games, but those rumors would eventually be put to rest (for the most part).
Several years ago after some scientific research, it was actually determined that those who played video games were improving their eye-hand coordination, increasing their thought process speed and reaction times, and showing an overall increase in their IQ. As mentioned by others, playing video games actually required the person to think and react to their environment while those watching television were simply sitting and watching without any interaction at all. The industry started to see that some forms of video games could actually prove beneficial to the education of kids, and more schools around the country started integrating computer systems into the classroom for their students. Games like Oregon Trail, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, etc were targetted specifically towards the education sector and were proving to actually work as planned.
If you look around the world today, you will see a lot of adults who didn't play video games growing up. Many of them couldn't even program a simple VCR, while their kids under 8 years old could program it in just a few minutes. As general technology is introduced to more and more areas of the work force, we are seeing that those best suited for most jobs are those that had some gaming experience. Computer and console gaming is proving to be a huge factor in increasing skills used by many career fields.
In regards to the arguement that games teach kids to kill, just like the military games teach soldiers to kill; well, that's a load of stink. As a former soldier that has used "games" in my training, as well as being a developer of military simulation software, I have to say that is one of the worst rumors around. Soldiers do not learn to kill from those programs, we learned to kill from our instructors using hands-on experience. The use of games in the military is not meant as a direct training tool, but has been integrated as a compliment to our real-world training. Military simulation software is used to reduce costs associated with real-world training, such as ammunition and transportation expenses. It would be nearly impossible to train a soldier even the most basic of combat tasks using software alone, but when you mix software-based training with real-world hands-on training it does help to increase the level of learning while reducing costs that tax payers have to cover. One unit can save tens of thousands of dollars on ammunition a year by mixing live-fire drills with software-based training, while still retaining enough hands-on experience to be effective in the field. Similar software is also in use by government agencies and public safety (Fire, EMS, etc) around the world.
Another thing that should be reminded, that was also mentioned in those reports, is that the majority of "violent" games that show extreme violence are also rated Mature, and kids shouldn't be playing them anyways. Games like World of Warcraft and Runescape do show acts of fantasy violence such as killing dragons or monsters, but I doubt a kid will think "Hey, I'm going to go shoot up my school because I learned how to use a crossbow to kill ogres". It's up to the parents to ensure their kids are playing games that meet their age level and to determine what they feel is safe for their kids to be around. Video games are no different from movies and television in that aspect, and most movies show more detailed violent acts than many games do.
I would say those reports were well-written and have pointed out facts that many of us have known for several years, and it's about time the general public became more aware of what the gaming industry has done to improve things in the world over the past couple of decades. Games don't rot the brain, the tend to nourish and improve it.
