Amber, I understand your concerns about violent video games leading to violent behavior. There have been many studies that show a direct, or at least very close, relation between children who play violent video games and their aggression in real life. This is where parental supervision and control come in to play. Dr. Cheryl Olson, co-director of the Center for Mental Health and the Media at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has this advice for parents: take the computer and gaming consoles out of the bedrooms and into family space in the home so they can keep an eye on what the kids are doing (Violent Video Games Linked to Child Aggression. CNNhealth, 2008). I strongly agree with this advice. Don’t blame the video games. The creators don’t care what affect it is going to have on children, obviously, so it is completely the responsibility of the family. When parents are more involved, the more influence they have on how their child grows up and will have a chance at having a better relationship with them as well. Hope M. Cummings, M.A., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Elizabeth A. Vandewater, Ph.D., of the University of Texas at Austin performed a study during the 2002-2003 school year involving 1,491 10-19 year old boys and girls. The study compiled data on how much time the students spent studying, reading leisurely, spending time with friends and family, playing sports, and playing video games, both with and without other people such as parents and friends. Their study concluded that when boys and girls spent more time playing video games with their parents or friends, it correlated with them spending more time with them doing other activities. When the children spent less time playing video games with others, they spent less time doing other activities with others as well (Study Examines Video Game Play Among Adolescents, Science Daily, 2007). What a great opportunity to do something fun with your kids that they actually like doing and that they get excited about.

On your other discussion about brain activity, I am still a little confused about the study you are mentioning here. You state that it is questionable whether or not the tests are comparable and answer it with a simples yes, how do we know this? Then you say the number test actually requires less brain activity than that of the video game, how does this prove the number test concluded superior results when the video game kept the brain more active? I have found information on many studies that show video games increase learning abilities and required people to think in a new way. Professor of Learning Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, James Gee states “…the cognitive benefits of playing video games: pattern recognition, system thinking, even patience…can exercise the mind the way physical activity exercises the body.” (Your Brain on Video Games, Discover Magazine Online, 2005). People who exercise regularly do so to keep their body in shape, video games do just that for your brain, not using it can make it sluggish and less ready to think critically and learn new things. Now I’m not saying that video games are the best or in any way the most superior activity for keeping your brain active, but I say it doesn’t hurt.

Works Cited

Your Brain on Drugs, Discover Magazine Online, 2005. Web. 7 Sep. 2009

Violent Video Games Linked to Child Aggression, CNNhealth.com 2008. Web. 7 Sep. 2009

Study Examines Video Game Play Among Adolescents, Science Daily 2007. Web. 8 Sep. 2009