Shawn Wolley: Addicted to Everquest, his personality changed. He became withdrawn, anti-social and depressed[citation needed].

He was later diagnosed with depression and schizoid personality disorder. He continued to play Everquest for one and half years until at the age of 21, he committed suicide by shooting himself, while the game ran on his computer. Aaron Hamel: & Kimberly Bede: Aaron Hamel was killed and Kimberly Bede was injured when two stepbrothers in Tennessee, aged 14 and 16, opened fire with rifles theyd found in their home. The boys cited Grand Theft Auto III as the inspiration for their real-life destruction. Xiao Yi: Another disheartening suicide: Xiao Yi was 13 when he jumped from the roof of a 24-story building. According to notes he left, the boy was entranced by the world of Warcraft III and hoped to reunite with his online friends in the afterlife.

Negative: Increase in aggression levels Social isolation Lack of empathy Decrease in helping behavior Positive: Stress Reliever Helps hand-eye coordination Problem-solving skill development Aid in multitasking Memorization

How do videogames affect adolescents minds?

Videogames have had a long history of being the blame for violence in young children. It has always been assumed that violent videogames such as Mortal Combat, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, etc. leads to behavioral and anger issues. Although in some cases this may be true, society rarely recognizes what good can come from videogames. Included in this brochure are positive and negative effects and common myths of videogames, as well as videogame-related incidents. It is suggested that video games played in first person, through the eyes of the killer, have a stronger effect on teens than games played in third person. When the player, in a sense, becomes the killer (in first person), and is the one shooting, stealing, fighting, etc., their aggression levels are more likely to worsen, as well as a lack of empathy for victims, and a decrease in helping behavior. In third person videogames, the player simply watches and controls another body that commits the actions. The effects video games have on children depend on the amount of exposure as well as the amount of family involvement. Teens who spend more time playing videogames and no allotted family time are at a higher risk of negative outcomes than teens that spend a lot of time with family and little time video gaming.

VIDEO GAMES HAVE NO SOCIAL SKILLS: In addition to offering interaction with an extensive and detailed virtual environment, they also implicate their users in an international community of members. VIDEO GAMES ROT THE BRAIN: Todays games are sophisticated platforms offering complex and compelling experiences. VIDEOGAMES RUIN KIDS ATTENTION SPAN: Video games are designed as Read/Write (R/W) media: players are at the very least reactive and at best creatively pro-active in their consumption of the product. The user is involved in an interactive experience with clear notions of self-determination. VIDEOGAMES CAUSE VIOLENT BEHAVIOR IN YOUG CHILDREN: A study by Yale University scientists, also in 2010, said gaming appears to be harmless for a vast majority of kids.