Some Truth About Gaming Platforms

A large gap exists between the public’s perception of video games and what the research actually shows. With all of the hype surrounding the holidays and the recently passed xbox 360 kinect release date a person should understand the differences between what is being said and what the actual truth is.
1. Violent video games have caused children to mimic what they are seeing as they are playing.
According to federal crime statistics, the rate of juvenile violent crime in the United States is at a 30-year low. It’s true that young offenders who have committed school shootings in America have also been game players. But young people in general are more likely to be gamers. The overwhelming majority of kids who play do not commit antisocial acts. The moral panic over violent video games is harmful. In order to have an effect on the types of crimes that are being committed there needs to be a better understanding of what is really behind the crimes of the youth.
2. Children are the primary market for video games.
While most American kids do play video games, the center of the video game market has shifted older as the first generation of gamers continues to play into adulthood and the cost of the games and systems continues to go up as evidenced by the xbox 360 kinect price so now the game industry caters to adult tastes as well as to the younger markets. The difference between reality and fantasy of the video games must be discussed by the parents and the children together and it is the parents who should initiate the discussion.
3. Women are not as interested in video games as men are.
When gaming consoles were first introduced they were often times played by boys. However, the percentage of women playing games has steadily increased over the past decade and with the new xbox 360 kinect and the Nintendo Wii consoles that have many games that are more interactive in nature the systems are becoming more and more popular every day with women.
4. Playing games will not teach a person anything.
Older games were not technically advanced and did little more than provide mindless entertainment for the users. Many current games are designed to be ethical testing grounds. Games today are able to help a person learn new things, keep them selves fit or discover uncharted worlds.
5. You can not socialize with others if you are playing games.
Today’s games involve interaction between people. There are large social groups who play games together. There are many families who now have game nights together. Friends can support another player and give them encouragement as they play. Social games are becoming more and more common. Games are made for either cooperative play in the same space or online play with distributed players. There are rules of acceptable play that are followed and people adhere to these rules no matter how violent a game might be.
6. Gamers are becoming immune to the rest of the world.
The truth is that kids can explore their fantasies through the playing of video games in many different ways. For some kids, they are able to do things that they could not do any other way. As long as they are taught the difference between reality and fantasy, they will be okay.
There is still much to be learned about the effect of gaming on the youth. Because the use of video games is on the rise, more of the answers will be discovered. Video games are here to stay. Playing a game is something that a lot of us are enjoying.