Millions of ‘gamers’ exhibit no ill effects

One of the first lessons taught in any entry-level statistics class is that correlation does not equal causation. Video games often are singled out as a cause for real-world violence.

Parents once saw jazz music as the work of the devil, destroying the minds of youth. Generations later, video games are given this label by parents and grandparents.

Violence in video games shows brutalities of war and darker sides of humanity’s capabilities. Asking game developers to water down the violence they depict is asking them to lie and belittle their work.

The video-game industry has grown by leaps and bounds since Pong, and has become a genre where great minds can display their artistic and creative ideas with stunning visuals. Gamers now immerse themselves in and interact with new worlds, taking the experience to another level.

Instead of blaming something without having firsthand experience, people should pick up a controller when their child is at school and play a game to its completion. Perhaps it is not evil incarnate after all.