Editor’s Rant

An issue that is constantly getting on my nerves and never seems to die down is that the video games being created today are the source of the social breakdown that our society is supposedly experiencing. In a time when the games industry is expanding beyond belief, there are still people who seem to feel it necessary to blame lower levels of concentration, increased violence in our youth, lack of social skills and for that matter any skills, on video games. In the eyes of many, video games can do nothing right.

Now before you read further, I am not going to defend the merits of video gaming but instead focus on them as a viable entertainment medium. Briefly though, when used correctly, games can be extremely useful as learning technique and can help in a wide variety of forms. Having said that, you’re not going to learn your times tables by playing Call of Duty till the early hours. Despite the major sense of achievement you get from beating a level on veteran or topping the leader board in a multiplayer game, I’d have to admit it difficult to defend the learning merits of Modern Warfare 3.

However, that in no means suggests we should not be allowed to play it. Whilst there are some who will sit in their parents’ basement in solitary confinement for three days straight trying to prestige for the tenth time, gaming can be a sociable as well as fun and challenging activity. As long as it is done in relative moderation, I can’t see why having a few mates over and playing FIFA for a few hours is any worse than say, watching T.V? In many ways, you’ll get a lot more out of the former than lying in front of Eastenders.

In playing FIFA with your friends, you are not only socially interacting, but also constantly challenging yourself to do better. Indeed, believe it or not, human beings enjoy a good mental challenge, and video games, when designed properly, are very good at delivering. Take for example Super Mario. The game relies on a very simple formula but with a difficulty spike that slowly increases as you progress through the game. The more you advance, the more familiar you become with the controls. Nonetheless, every time you start a new stage, the level is made that little bit harder in order to keep the sense of challenge.

‘Fair enough, but how is becoming a pro at Mario ever going to help me?’ Constantly challenging yourself can be applied to anything. OK it’s a long shot but you have to accept that in beating Bowser you’ve achieved a lot more than finding out who shot Phil (the only thing I remember from my Eastenders days).

Still, this isn’t enough for many who would argue that whilst Mario is all good innocent fun, there are games out there that are full of violence, drugs and sex. ‘How will that benefit the children of today?’ ‘ A 12 year old should not be allowed to play this!’ No he shouldn’t is the correct answer. Why some kids today have access to games like Grand Theft Auto and Gears of War, is beyond me. The BBFC has woken up to the rise in adult themed games in recent years and has been good at classifying what can and shouldn’t be played by chidren, using the same rating system used in the film industry.

Some parents though still seem to allow children to play these games, only to then go on chat shows to complain about them to the viewing public. I’ll admit in the age of internet, it is extremely easy for computer savvy kids to gain access to material not suitable for them. You don’t even have to be clever to use Internet Explorer. Parents just need to be stricter in what they allow their children to read, watch and play. I would not let my 12 year old play Resident Evil in the same why that I wouldn’t let him/her watch Scarface or read American Psycho. Sure you’ll always have the one kid on your street that has the latest copy GTA but it’s that same kid who showed you how to find porn.

Games are becoming an ever more important medium of entertainment. Last year, the industry made more of a profit than that of film. Everyone is doing it, be it on your Xbox or iPhone, and society is going to have to come to terms with that. So close your copy of the Hunger Games, turn off Game of Thrones and get playing. Its legitimate fun and you’ll feel much better for it.

Rant over, better get back to my dissertation.