Video Games Good or Bad

Are Video Games Good For You, by Steven Berlin Johnson a author and writer of numerous magazine articles. Johnson has stirred academia and parents alike by professing that video games have a place in education. Johnson's views on video games are so out of the mainstream most people dismissed his assertions without much thought. His ideas seemed to find traction though when he wrote his book on the subject advocating a controversial view point video games are good for you. Johnson makes a simple claim that video games can be beneficial.

Is it possible the biggest distracter of teenagers and college students in America, could actually be doing some good? There are numerous studies on video game play and the amount of time people spend on them, especially our youth. Many previous studies do not reflect Johnson's view point. So, are video games educational, or just another distraction to traditional education and parents? Johnson argues that video games not only attract kids through sex and violence.

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He claims people are drawn to the structure and sense of adventure.

Johnson contends that certain parts of the brain are stimulated that actually make you crave conquest. Johnson claims that video games are so complicated, filled with problem solving and realistic scenarios that they must be doing something positive. He asserts that television has some of the same characteristics as video games. "The most debased forms of mass diversion -- video games and violent television dramas and juvenile sitcoms -- turn out to be nutritional after all," Johnson writes.

They offer an increasingly rigorous "cognitive workout.

" What's more, the mental skills they hone "are just as important as the ones exercised by reading books. "(pp. 381-394 ). Johnson continues throughout his article to bring scientific data to light on the subject, but it does not convince this writer that video games are good for you. Johnson does not take all the blame on that data because there really isn't much available on the subject. Johnson tries to take liberty with IQ scores on the rise over the last few years but that is a stretch in his attempt link it to video game play.

Johnson ignores any data that conflicts with his position, such as better education techniques or more access to information through the use of the internet. Inquiring deeper in the area of study, there seems to be quite a bit of data that Johnson doesn't mention in his article. Studies reveal that there is a great deal of harm caused by extended video game play. Links have been made to aggressive behavior and even physical altercations to video game play. Parents have nothing but complaints about video games. Most parents want their children to play the traditional way, outside.

Parents also have a hard time getting children to do anything else when a video game takes over. Johnson himself backs away from his own argument when he makes statements like don't stop reading books or do not depend on video games for your entire education. Johnson has caused me to explore the idea that video games are more than just a distraction, but in the end they are not best way to educate our children-they are a distraction. References Johnson, S. (2012) Why Games Are Good For You, From Inquiry to Academic Writing, pp. 481-494.