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I do not believe that a couple hours of gaming here and there will cause a teen, child, or adult to lose the ability to differentiate between the game world and the reality world. However, endless days or weeks in front of an RPG (role playing game) or a first person shooting game does cause certain gamers to commit repulsive acts; they forget that they are in the REAL world.

Take for example Mr. Chris Taylor, a staff writer for TIME Magazine. Chris spent numerous hours playing the shooting game Quake III. Taylor stated that when he finished his gaming time and walked out of his office, he was scared by his own thoughts; he was looking at his co-workers like potential targets. Taylor had to immediately return to his office and stay there until the end of the day; he feared he would do something dangerous if he left the confines of his office.

Another example is that of Kozy Kitchens. Kitchens spent many hours every day playing Katamari Damacy , a game where the player is a roll of tape, which tries to pick up everything to become a bigger blob of tape. This may seem comical, but while driving down the street, Kitchens yanked the steering wheel to the right, out of her husband’s hands. Kitchens steered the car straight towards a mailbox. When Mr. Kitchens regained control, he turned to his wife, Kozy said, “Sorry. I thought we could pick up that mailbox we just passed.”

These are just minor examples, but I believe the point is made. However, take this fact for instance. Over the past three years, more than 90 percent of all school shootings were committed by people who played over 40 hours of a violent RPG a week. This fact may be a correlation, but it also may be a cause as well.

The biggest problem is the fact that children are beginning to play violent games at a younger age; an age when morality, self consciousness and the ability to make correct decisions has not yet been concreted or formed. Children who play young may grow up thinking that they behavior in games is ok, and acceptable behavior for the real society. (Seeing as how mommy and daddy buy them and older brother and all his friends play them). It’s a disappointing future when children do think this way.

Fortunately, there are exceptions to this idea. And there are more factors then video games that can decide if, or if not, a person is a good person. However, video games do more then violence. Now, it is an obvious fact that video games usually substitute chores, homework and community service. Video games are impairing our educational system. Still the question remains: are the negatives of video games worth our citizen’s morality and intelligence? Worth the profits? Or the entertainment? Or the violence?  

It would be beneficial for society to consider the probable negative outcomes of the video game realm before they turn on the system. Consider all factors, just because its fun doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.