Amy, I disagree with the statement James Gee made that compares video games to a book. Sure books do not progress vocabularies and move on to more complex words or writings, but it increases the persons imagination, also vocabularies can increase, walk into a Barnes and Noble. You can get anywhere from Hop on Pop to Chronicles of Narnia, to Harry Potter, War & Peace, Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, and so many other books. I would much rather read a book than play a video game. Did you know a child watches 28 hours of television (video games included) a week and by the age of 18 will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 20,000 acts of violence? (Video Games: Cons and Pros: An Interview with Richard Gallager PhD, 2006-2009) You wouldn't get that with a book! Sure there are games that are clearly not intended for kids, but I know as well as you that if a kid wants something bad enough they will find any means necessary to get it. Heck, some clerks don't even check ids. "A large number of kids are playing increasingly violent games; most youth are able to recognize the difference between reality and fantasy, so they see the games as pointless entertainment. But, some kids get immersed in the violence which may contribute to a cold-hearted view of other people; it may make them prone to aggressive thoughts, attitudes, and actions. ‘First Person' shooters where the player sees the actions as if he or she was the shooter can desensitize the player to violence. These games are actually used in military training to help soldiers become used to the process of harming others." (Gallager) So am I disagreeing that video games like Wii Sports or Mario Kart exist? No, but why would a kid want to play sports or a innocent game like that when they can shoot cops, hooker, businessmen, and the rest of society down?


Works Cited:
Video Games: Cons and Pros An Interview With Richard Gallagher, Ph.D, Education.com 2006-2009.Web.13 Sep.2009
http://www.education.com/print/ref_video_games_cons/