RetroPost: The Dangers Of Video Games

In RetroPost, we feature a post from at least one year ago (ancient in pop culture time). The posts are featured because they have some relevance to current happenings, because they are timeless in nature and speak to a relevant issue, or because we plan on providing a follow-up in an upcoming post.

This Week: In our recent poll (which is still open and susceptible to swaying), most of you said you loved video games. This means that many of you are like me: desperate to defend your favorite past-time, and often all too apt to overlook its’ many faults. Unfortunately, video games is just one other medium, and is as a result susceptible to its’ own set of dangers.

Most mediums have been around for long enough time to mature. Video games are another story. Video games were born the same year I was: 1982. And like me, they are still figuring out what on earth they’re going to do with themselves. In the meantime, the medium seems to be reinventing itself every five years, adding new control schemes, more realistic graphics, and unleashing new controversies.

Because of these controversies, no one is a stranger to the dangers of video games, but many are ignorant of the root causes, or ways to guard against them. This post is simply an attempt to get both those who write video games off and those who play video games regularly to stop and consider exactly what it is we are facing.

(Of course, video games aren’t all bad. Check out my post on the Benefits of Video Games)

Video Games can Distract from Real Life
The most well-known problem with video-games is also the most foundational. In fact, this flaw is really the reason for the rest of the flaws listed.
The stereotypical video-gamer who rarely goes outside, showers, or interacts with the opposite sex is very real and can be found in any Gamespot near you. And here’s a news flash: you’re not far from becoming him. Sure, it’s possible to become a video game enthusiast without becoming the stereotype, but it takes some real work. One must think hard about the way one plays video games and what they play, as well as how they react to them. There’s nothing wrong with loving video games, but the key is balance: let nothing become your master.

Video Games can Reward Obsession
One debate in the gaming world right now is whether or not casual gaming is killing off all of the “good” (aka “hardcore”) games. The Nintendo Wii has demonstrated that regular people are willing to play video games if they aren’t forced to spend hours learning special moves and what the 20 various buttons do before they can even begin to succeed. This is why classic games are so attractive to regular people: Pacman takes a total of 20 seconds to figure out.
But then came Street Fighter 2, which added “special moves,” which were activated by button combinations that no one could guess on their own. Inside knowledge was required. Street Fighter 2 and games of its kind actually required study time to excel. Most people agree that right about this time is when people started their exodus from playing video games. They claimed that they just “didn’t have time,” and what they meant was, they only had time to play, not to practice or memorize. That’s probably a pretty healthy attitude toward video games.

Video Games can Alienate you From Others
Just ask my wife: you may be really excited about Super Smash Brothers Brawl, but not everyone feels the love. No one is able to appreciate your favorite game simply because you want them to. People appreciate the people in their lives, not the games in their friends lives and they really just want to spend time with you. Don’t treat people as a “2nd player” (this is something that sounds ridiculous but is a common problem for many gamers) and instead treat them as someone you’d like to hang out with and get to know. Use video games as an opportunity to break the ice. Horror of horrors: You may want to let them win a couple of times. This is exactly the reason I let my wife win every single game of Dr. Mario Rx against me. Yeah, that’s why.

Video Games can Discourage Deep Thought About Critical Issues
Admit it: when you’re playing Doom, Quake, Unreal Tournament or Call of Duty, you’re not thinking about whyyou’re doing what you’re doing. You’re simply trying to do it better. This is simply one example of how video games can subtly distract us from moral questions that ought to plague us. While recent games have drawn attention to these moral choices, for the most part games are still in the early artistic stages and designers show little real concern for causing us to stop and think about what we’re doing.
My suggestion: Especially for narrative based games that deal with heavy issues, pause the game and think about what is being simulated. Ask why your character is considered the “hero” of the game. Ask whether or not he should be considered a villain. Most important, probe yourself and ask God to shine a light onto any way that might be being affected by the game.

There are two extreme sides of the video game issue: one side claims that they are too addictive, too violent, too risky for the believer to take part in, and that they must be avoided. The other claims that video games are just plain fun, that they don’t affect our thought patterns, and that they ought to be treated in the same way as film or television.

Both sides are guilty of the same sin: underestimating the power of the video game to affect how we see the world, how we exist in the world, and how others see us. Video games ought to be enjoyed, but they ought not to dominate our lives. The worldviews presented in video games should be considered carefully. Finally, gamers need to stop clamoring for games to be treated the same as every other medium. Video games are not just any other medium: they are innovative, full of potential, immersive. These things, coupled with the fact that they are made and played by a depraved humanity makes them wrought with danger.

RetroPost: The Dangers of Video Games