Video games seem to get the most bad press among all the entertainment medias. Not films, not TV shows, not books, but video games are seen as the black sheep among the flock. Maybe it’s because video games are still an infant compared to other entertainment mediums or maybe it’s the interactive aspect of gaming that crosses the line. Whatever it might be, I believe there’s a better balanced way to look at this.
You can never generalize entertainment media. It’s so vast and diverse that labeling it good or bad, based solely on your experience or by judging a small portion of it, is narrow minded and ignorant. All media is a double edged sword, and it depends on the wielder. The message a piece of media conveys can lie anywhere from good/positive, harmful/negative or it can even be open for interpretation. The first 2 are obvious, but the third is a bit muddy. For example, a movie like “Taxi Driver” can teach you about mental health and the dangers of loneliness, or it can either teach you to be a psycho. Labeling media based on the consumer’s interpretation shouldn’t be the standard to judge it by, nor should misguiding media be encouraged. It is a blurred line, which we as a community need to address.
Gaming, like its peers, has the power to change one’s opinion and introduce new thoughts, for better or worse. On top of this shared quality, gaming has the added advantage of being interactive. This is what separated gaming from the pack. You are in control. You are the one who clicks, and you are the one that does the action. On one hand, this exponentially increases our immersion and teaches its lesson in a profoundly intimate way. On the other, this is the reason the media believes video games make us psychotic killers. Yes, there are many violent games, but multiple studies have shown this is not related to real life crime and inadvertently acts as a stress relieving mechanism. But I understand how consuming such media can affect a feeble mind, as it tends to desensitize us to these acts.
Video games aren’t perfect, none of the media are. There are many serious problems that need to be addressed like addiction, gambling, social disconnection and needs proper attention and care put into the development for battling these crippling obstacles. But there’s also the side of gaming that showcases stories and viewpoints that changes ones life forever. Gaming has a long way to go, and some major problems to fix. But I have hope for this medium and the communities behind it, and maybe one day, we will look back on this generation of games as one looks back on the infancy of movies and books.
