Argumentative Essay Example on Gaming Entertainment Industry

Throughout human history anything new has often been taken with a grain of salt & people usually do not accept them. They judge them based on face value. So it was not a surprise that many people became fearful of this new & bold type of entertainment. Ever since the creation of pong, video games have taken the world by storm for well over 30 years now. Today video games are a large part of modern day culture, and many people are lead to believe that they are a bad thing so we should educate people as to why their views may be misguided.

To begin, ever since the gaming industry was first introduced people have always been wary of it and it’s possible effects on those who play it, specifically children. “ ... that video games are worthless and ruin kids' brains but this isn't true. Many recent studies have proven that there are good reasons to play video games ... have health benefits for the people who play them.” (Mardis) Gaming has been around for over 50 years but it’s only been in the past 30 years that the topic of gaming correlates to violence has been around. The first truly violent game came out during the ’80s, but since then a slew of violent video games has been released & have become increasingly popular since.  Though to many people & many many parents this was an immediate red flag as they were concerned about the effects it may be having on their children.

Additionally, people’s opinions on gaming often are based on that of politicians statements which support no real evidence or even bother to give real evidence. As the years have passed many studies have been made to test said people’s accusations. Throughout these studies, they have all failed to show any correlation between gaming and violence or aggression. Though these studies are often misconstrued in news reporting or that of political statements. They often write articles in a way to grab the readers attention that puts gaming in a negative light instead of really showing the reader the findings of the study. Gaming, since it first became popularized, has been condemned as bad by many incorrect reports on them through popular forms of media. “But more troubling than these industry outliers are our own misperceptions that a medium which actively champions uplifting and social play is an active threat to our children.” (Steinberg) Majority of media perceptions often discredits gaming for what it actually is, and people believe that since it “has to be true” since it came from so and so news company. More often than naught, these reports are incorrect & have no real evidence to support their claims.

Furthermore, there are many different ways for people to learn news about things going on in the world. Likewise, there are many sources to learn about games & their ratings. There are quite a few sites that constantly report on gaming. Going into detail about what the game is, it's rating, and why it was rated in such a way. Plenty of gamers buy a game off of a gut feeling, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to want to do research beforehand. Just in case they’re unsure about their choice. Parents have every right to be concerned about what their children are playing & how it may be affecting them. Though, you can use gaming to your advantage. Turn gaming into a bonding session. (Lazarus) If you’re concerned about what your child is playing then why not try and play with them or sit down with them while they’re playing. That way you can watch & learn about the game but learn about what it is that your child is doing in the game & why they like it. It’s a great way to learn about their likes & interests. Another way to keep track of what your child is playing or to make sure that they’re not playing something you’d prefer them not to play you can monitor as to what they play. Let them know what types of games they can or cannot play. Give them limitations until you feel like they’re mature or old enough to play these games without those limitations.

Not to mention, scientists have actually found that video games can be beneficial to health. A study in 2014 from the Molecular Psychiatry by researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Germany from the found that playing certain games like Super Mario 64 had caused an increase in the size of certain brain regions. More specifically the parts of ones brain responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation, strategic planning, and fine motor skills. (Bowler) Many parents concerned as to their children not gaining anything from video games have nothing to fear now.

Finally, many politicians have correlated gaming with violence, and many have tried to take action against gaming. The most famous case being Hillary Clinton’s bill against gaming in 2011. “Clinton’s bill never made it out of committee, and in 2011 the United States Supreme Court ruled that all such legislation was unconstitutional and that research evidence could not support claims that it was necessary.”(Markey) Clinton’s bill tried to make it so that Congress would decide on the rating of games. Though they already go through very detailed rating systems, which features as to why they are labeled so on the game. In the end, Congress labeled gaming a work of art like that of other forms of entertainment. Therefore, even if they are violent, being no different than literature, film, or fairy tales. 

In conclusion, gaming has become one of today’s most successful forms of entertainment. Though many people have been afraid of it ever since they first came out. Sadly, that may never change. Yet there is still hope to change people’s perception of video games. The video game industry is only continuing to grow, which is making people more fearful than ever, but they have nothing to fear if they look into it just a little deeper.