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Jarrett Radies
Ms. Robillard
LA 8 Hour 3
12 February 2015
Why Video Games Are Beneficial For Teens
Violent video games: gory, free-for-all, bloodbaths. Or are they? Many people believe
that violent video games arent bad teens. Violent juvenile crime in the United States has actually
been declining as violent video game popularity has increased. The arrest rate for juvenile
murders has fallen 71.9% between 1995 and 2008. The arrest rate for all juvenile violent crimes
has declined 49.3%. In this same period, video game sales have more than quadrupled. That is
just one reason why violent video games arent bad for teens.
Some people may argue that Video games reward players for simulating violence, and
thus enhance the learning of violent behaviors. While it is true that many video games simulate
violence, most video games punish you for harming or killing innocent civilians. This is why
those people are wrong.
A recent study published in the journal American Psychologist says Playing strategic
video games may improve learning, health and social skills, as well as strengthen a range of
cognitive abilities including problem solving, reasoning, memory and perception, even if the
game is particularly violent. Violent video games are usually strategic. Many high schoolers
play violent video games, so these video games may contribute to their academic success.
Speaking of high schoolers, many high schools in New York play a big game of water pistol wars
called Killer. In this game, the students have to be creative and solve problems, reinforcing
what the study showed.

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School is a very stressful and frustrating thing for many students. At the end of the day,
students need something to help them vent their anger or frustration. Violent video games are a
great way to vent out that anger and frustration according to a study conducted by Cheryl Olson,
Lawrence Kutner, and Dorothy Warner. This study is called "The Role of Violent Video Game
Content in Adolescent Development: Boys' Perspectives," and was published in the Journal of
Adolescent Research in Jan. 2008. The study says that Playing violent video games reduces
violence in adolescent boys by serving as a substitute for rough and tumble play. Playing violent
video games allows adolescent boys to express aggression and establish status in the peer group
without causing physical harm. The game dubbed Killer that is played in New York schools
could be another anger outlit for teens. But this outlit demands physical activity and logical
thinking. Studies show that physical activity has actually be proven to stimulate brain activity.
Video games get a bad rap. No doubt about it. Many adults that are uneducated about the
world of video games tend to bash them for being so violent. What these adults dont see is that
not all video games are violent blood-baths. A website labeled Zooniverse is full of amusing
mini-games that many people enjoy playing. The people who play these games are
unconsciously helping to solve sciences biggest problems. The website hosts one game dubbed
Phylo that emulates the popular mobile game Candy-Crush-Saga. This game lets players
put together genetic code to try to find the cure for diseases. One app named Lumosity also
hosts many mini-games, but these games arent intended for putting together genetic code, they
actually improve they players cognitive function.
To conclude, video games arent actually bad for teens, they are good. Like I said, violent
video game sales increased around the same time that teen crime rates decreased, and websites

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like Zooniverse offer games that help solve some big problems in science. This proves that video
games arent bad for teens.

Works Cited
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/25/online-gamers-solving-sciences-biggestproblems
http://videogames.procon.org/
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/06/22/shoot-out-3

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