Bam Pow! Your thumbs are twitching and you can feel your heart thudding in your chest. Ten more feet until you beat the game. You can feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins. And… Level Complete! You cheer with delight and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished.

For decades, video games have been a common pastime for teenagers and families alike. Gaming is a time for friends and family to gather together and have a good time. Some have even managed to make a career out of gaming. But gaming has also been a popularly debated topic and one that scientists and physiologists have spent countless hours studying. The sudden rise in technology over the past few years has caused many people to stop and question if entertainment sources like video games are really helpful. Although there has never been an accurate correlation between real world violence and excessive gaming, this theory keeps coming up in one way or another. The sales of games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto are off the charts, and the industry is only getting more successful. There is a rating system in place so young children can’t play games that are too inappropriate. So the question remains: Are violent video games harmful or beneficial to youth? I believe violent video games are beneficial for youth because they require high-level thinking like multitasking and reaction time, they are safe and they promote teamwork.

Many video games, especially the violent ones require advanced thinking like multitasking. Michael Stroud, a professor of psychology at Merrimack College believes video games significantly improve multitasking. “In Pac-Man, you must navigate your character through a spatial layout while monitoring the separate paths of four additional objects (the ghosts), while keeping the overall goal of clearing the small pellets in memory, as well as keeping track of the remaining large pellets." (Steinberg, 2011, 2) Multitasking is a vital skill that is very helpful in everyday life. Often kids and adults encounter situations where they have to have the ability to focus on two separate things at once. For example, driving can often be something that is hard to focus on because of all the distractions on the road. If you have a crying child in the backseat and you’re answering a phone call while driving, you have to have the competence to cope with both situations. Super Mario Brothers is a video game that involves a lot of multitasking because you are trying to beat a level, but you are also having to deal with poisonous plants or dangerous fish. Although these scenarios aren’t always realistic, they are all models of future situations that people might encounter in day-to-day life.
As well as improving multitasking, violent video games also enhance the skill of reaction time. The University of Rochester performed a study on the specific benefits of gaming and concluded that “People who played action-based video and computer games made decisions 25% faster than other without sacrificing accuracy.” (Lee, 2012, 1) Basically, people who play action video games have a significantly higher reaction time than those who don’t. A good reaction time gives the gamer an advantage in the game because they have the ability to execute moves quicker. Reaction time is very useful in sports when you have to catch an unexpected pass or shoot a basket on the spur of the moment. In a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, researchers concluded that “in such a short race, a difference in reaction time could make the difference between first and last.” (Dupont, 2) Suppose you are trying to win a 100-yard dash. Being the fastest runner in the race won’t matter if you don’t have the ability to react quickly to the starting whistle. In video games, you often have to react quickly to whatever obstacles are in your way. For example if you are trying to reach a safe zone and someone is shooting at you, you have to have the strength to react quickly and dodge the bullet. This also correlates to fighting in a war. Often you have to dodge gunshots and evade the enemy quickly in a short period of time. Clearly reaction time is an imperative skill that people, especially athletes will benefit from improving.

As well as benefiting mentally, video games also have many social perks such as the development of teamwork. Scott Steinberg, a professional keynote speaker, business consultant, and author of acclaimed book, The Modern Parent’s Guide to Kids and Video Games, believes video games enhance teamwork. “Massively multiplayer games such as LEGO Universe and Lord of the Rings Online further offer added depth, atmosphere and enjoyment by allowing players to band together and work as a team in order to complete certain quests or defeat especially tricky opponents.” (Steinberg, 2011, 3) Usually in video games (violent and non violent), players have to work together to reach a common goal. Video games are beneficial in this way because they teach children to cooperate, acknowledge others, and play fairly. In fact, the prominent game Call of Duty allows twelve to sixteen people to play together on the online mode. You are actually having to collaborate and coordinate game plans and strategies with other anonymous players. It’s a huge skill to be able to work together with someone over the Internet that you don’t even know. “In a series of experiments published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that participants who had just played a "pro-social" game in which characters must work together to help each other out as compared to those who had just played a "neutral" game (e.g. Tetris) were more likely to engage in helpful behaviors.” (Steinberg, 2011, 2) Basically, when you are you used to working together and cooperating with others, you have more of an automatic tendency to help others. Essentially, these games are teaching children that playing honestly is more important than winning. Our society needs more honorable and less selfish people. I truly believe that violent video games teach children honesty and synergy.

As well as having social benefits, video games have also had a safe, positive impact on our society. Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker completed a study on the affects of digital savagery and concluded that "despite the high-profile acts of digital savagery, we are actually living in the safest period in history." (Dashevsky, 2013, 2) Some may think that with all the recent inventions and breakthroughs in technology, there would be more reason to engage in underhanded activity. Actually, our world has never been safer and the sharp decrease in crime proves this. Recently, the video game industry has been soaring with an estimated $90 billion dollars of worldwide sales by 2015. (Raymundo 2015, 1) Clearly, all the violent games that have been recently introduced haven't had that much of a negative impact on society. Critics may think that the crime and violence would have affected people for the worse, but the contrary is true. Furthermore, there is a rating system in place managed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board so young children can’t play video games that are inappropriate. In fact, the Entertainment Software Rating Board states that "Parents report always or sometimes monitoring the games their children play 97% of the time." (2015, 3) Putting a strict rating system in place is really all the gaming industry can do to protect adolescents. Every product has its faults, and the wide age range of video gamers is one of the issues with gaming. But with a forceful rating system in place, what more can the industry do? The gaming industry can't stop kids that will try to obtain inappropriate games in an underhanded way. There will always be teenagers that will try to buy games that aren't age appropriate and there will always be parents that aren't bothered enough to monitor what their children are playing. Clearly, the gaming industry is doing their part and it is up to the rest of society to use their best judgment.

Critics may argue that video games are merely a waste of time. Video games often are very time consuming for teenagers and children. But I believe the evidence suggestively proves that video games do have some vital benefits. Dr. Rosser of the University of Toronto executed a study on the effects of gaming and found that “surgeons who had played video games in the past for more than three hours per week made 37 percent fewer errors, were 27 percent faster, and scored 42 percent better on laparoscopic surgery and suturing drills than surgeons who never played video games.” (Hampton, 2013, 1) Video games aren’t just benefiting teenagers, but also medical doctors. The fact that video games are contributing to the success of vital professions like surgeons shows that these games do have some point. Video games may be a form of entertainment for adolescents, but for the medical industry, these games are something new entirely. Gaming is not a waste of time if it can contribute to helping others. Video games could have a seriously positive impact on other businesses and occupations in the near future. Who are we to complain if these games can aid others? With the rise in technology, new ideas and innovations are being introduced all the time. People are constantly finding ways to benefit others using the strangest of resources. These games are undoubtedly supporting the world in ways we didn’t even think imaginable. Clearly, video games are beneficial and are most certainly not a waste of time.

In a competitive society like ours, parents are often concerned about putting too much stress on their children. The positive aspect about video games is that they are only as competitive and hard as you make them to be. Although, a select few have managed to make a career out of gaming, most people’s success doesn’t depend on beating the highest level of Grand Theft Auto. These games are merely a form of entertainment, and a way for friends and family to get together and have a good time.

To conclude, violent video games are beneficial to adolescents because they improve the skills of multitasking and reaction time, they are safe and they promote teamwork. Reaction time is important for sports, and multitasking is vital for skills like driving. Teamwork is a skill that a lot of people can benefit from working on. These games do have downsides, but they also have many upsides. If gaming can really help our world for the better, who are we to argue? All these recent innovations in technology could benefit our world for the better. Sometimes the things we expect the least end up helping us the most. The discussion of gaming is very controversial and many people already have formed a clear opinion on the topic. But, if some of us can learn to acknowledge the other side, then maybe we really can help change the world.

Works Cited

1) Steinberg, Scott. "The Benefits of Video Games." ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 Dec. 2011. Web. 08 Apr. 2015.

2) "Hours of Playing Video Games Can Change Brain for the Better, Research Finds." Fox News. FOX News Network, 06 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2015.

3) "Video Game Industry Statistics | Entertainment Software Rating Board." Video Game Industry Statistics | Entertainment Software Rating Board. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

4) Raymundu, Oscar. "6 Reasons the Video-Game Industry Will Be Disrupted in 2015." Inc.com. N.p., 16 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

5) Hotz, Robert Lee. "When Gaming Is Good for You." Wall Street Journal. N.p., 13 Mar. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

6) Dupont, Doug. "What Determines Reaction Time and How to Improve It."Breaking Muscle. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

7) Dashevsky, Evan. "Violent Video Games May Stop Crime by Keeping Criminals Busy Playing Violent Video Games." TechHive. N.p., 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.