Video Games Vs. Teenagers

Video Games vs. Teenagers

In recent years there has been a debate regarding the negative effects of gaming on

youth's behaviors. On average, children play video games two hours a day with 64 percent of all

American children playing at least one hour a day("cite"). In particular parents and scientists

have been increasingly concerned about the effects of violent games and player's behaviors.

For example, a news article states that "two thirds of those aged between 12 and 15 said that

violence in games had more of an impact on behavior than violence in television or

film"("cite"). My friend Cesar is addicted to video games and is now overweight, dropped out of

high school and is literally cut out of society. Although video games are very fun and

entertaining, they leave teenagers open to health, academic and social difficulties. Most of us

love video games but we don't let them interfere with our lives.

The health of youth is majorly targeted by the violence in video games. According to the

latest study on the digital entertainment medium, violent video game play leads young men to

believe it's acceptable to smoke marijuana and drink alcohol ("cite"). Based on what Brady and

Matthews offer what they consider positive proof that violent video games negatively affect a

players' blood pressure and lead to uncooperative behavior, permissive attitudes toward

violence, alcohol and marijuana use, sexual activity without condom use and hostile social

information ("cite"). While this negatively affects a teen's mental health it also affects their

physical health. By teens playing video games frequently they don't get enough exercise and

start to gain weight. For instance, before Cesar became a gamer he was a high school football player, and was also very athletic. His addiction became severe and all he wanted to do was

play video games. Consequently, he became over weight and ended up getting kicked out of

the football team.

Playing video games has been proven to drastically increase teenager's chances of

failing their classes. Gaming easily becomes an addiction, therefore, other priorities such as,

homework and assignment deadlines are not met due to excessive gaming. According to the

study of Lemmens and Bushman the amount