Some Truth About Gaming Platforms

There are many myth’s about the good and bad of video games that are circulating in today’s world. With all of the hype surrounding the holidays and the recently passed xbox 360 kinect release date a person should understand the differences between what is being said and what the actual truth is.
1. The availability of video games has created a problem of youth violence.
The truth is that there are fewer crimes that are being committed by the youth o America than at any time in recent history. It's true that young offenders who have committed school shootings in America have also been game players. There are also a lot of kids who play games that do not commit any crimes. Most of the youth today have not turned into criminals because they are playing video games. It is not helping the situation when people are worrying about the effects. It misdirects energy away from eliminating the actual causes of youth violence and allows problems to continue to fester.
2. Only kids are playing on the gaming platforms.
While most American kids do play video games, the center of the video game market has shifted older as the first generation of gamers continues to play into adulthood and the cost of the games and systems continues to go up as evidenced by the xbox 360 kinect price so now the game industry caters to adult tastes as well as to the younger markets. The difference between reality and fantasy of the video games must be discussed by the parents and the children together and it is the parents who should initiate the discussion.
3. Women are not as interested in video games as men are.
When gaming consoles were first introduced they were often times played by boys. However, the percentage of women playing games has steadily increased over the past decade and with the new xbox 360 kinect and the Nintendo Wii consoles that have many games that are more interactive in nature the systems are becoming more and more popular every day with women.
4. Video games are not a meaningful form of expression.
Many early games were little more than shooting galleries where players were encouraged to blast everything that moved. The titles that a person can choose from today are both fun and educational. Games today are able to help a person learn new things, keep them selves fit or discover uncharted worlds.
5. Video game play is socially isolating.
Gaming is not done in a dark room alone anymore. Almost 60 percent of frequent gamers play with friends. Thirty-three percent play with siblings and 25 percent play with spouses or parents. Friends can support another player and give them encouragement as they play. There are lots of games that involve large numbers of people playing. Games are made for either cooperative play in the same space or online play with distributed players. There are rules of acceptable play that are followed and people adhere to these rules no matter how violent a game might be.
6. Gamers are becoming immune to the rest of the world.
The truth is that kids can explore their fantasies through the playing of video games in many different ways. For some kids, they are able to do things that they could not do any other way. As long as they are taught the difference between reality and fantasy, they will be okay.
There is still much to be learned about the effect of gaming on the youth. Research will continue as long as kids are spending more hours in front of the screens. Gaming is a big part of the world today. Kids and adults alike enjoy them too much.