Parents who blame their woes on video games...

This was originally written to be posted on a website called "Helium" that I got suckered into. I was in Spain, I wanted to find a way to make money blogging, and UMBCworks pointed me to this site. It was a trap!

Anywho, the topic was "Parents who blame video games for their child's inadequacies - Do your research." And surprisingly enough it's still the Number 1 rated article for that category. Awesome.
. . . . .

Imagine what kids would get out of games if more parents
played with them instead of used it as a babysitter. (image yoinked from Kotaku.)

Just like comic books, television and rock n' roll, the parents and politicians of the United States will always need something to point their fingers at for corrupting the children of our country. I ask these individuals and organizations fighting the fight against games and gamers, "How did your child get their hands on that T or M-rated video game in the first place?"

It is one thing for a parent to plead ignorance, but even when the ESRB rating system is a little self-admittedly skewed, if a parent should take the time to read the "Warning: Blood, Gore, Violence, Language" on the back of the box, the outcry could start to decline at a rapid rate. And if the child happened to get a hold of it by their own means, what do you do when you see them playing this game? Do you take it away or do you run to the local media so they can film you kid's Playstation in the act of corrupting them?

Parents, please. I know you are probably working long days but if you are not going to be an active part in your child's lives to oversee what they are going to expose themselves to, then you are in no place to blame video games for your own failing. You have the power to lock up the gaming console. You have the power to yank the credit card from that Warcraft subscription. You have the power to say "No, you need to be older before we can buy that game." If a game was not made for an elementary school child to play, then the odds are it shouldn't be in their hands right now.

Within the hot debate there will always be the many, but it will always be the very few exceptions that become the poster children for the anti-video game movement. It is rare, with the focus on political gain by placing the blame solely on games, that other important factors, like mental illness, a bad home life, depression or medication, all important and unfortunate parts in these media victim's lives will go completely unnoticed. It also goes unmentioned the benefits of video games, like quicker cognitive reflexes or better eye-hand coordination for surgeons. Or that games are beneficial to the treatment of stroke patient recovery. Not to mention the capabilities for learning teamwork and leadership.

The battle is still being waged against video games, but gamers themselves are reaching out to their communities to prove that "Hey, we aren't such bad guys." One of the most touching examples involves the successful online comic strip, "Penny Arcade." These two gaming enthusiasts created a charity foundation called "Child's Play." Here gamers and game companies donate money that goes toward purchasing gaming consoles for the sick kids who are being treated in children's hospitals around the world. These children aren't able to get up and run around, but at least with video games, they can play with each other and have fun.

Gaming culture is certainly evolving from the days of PacMan and even the scandal that was GTA's Hot Coffee fiasco.

Links:
"Abstract: The Impact of Video Games on Training Surgeons in the 21st Century" - Archives of Surgery
"Games for Learning Resources" - Federation of American Scientists
"Would You Put World of Warcraft on Your Resume?" - Wired.com
Penny Arcade (*Rated M, for Mature: Language, Violence, Angry Fruit Juicers*)
Child's Play

Thank you for your time, safe travels and happy gaming folks!