Video Games and the Decay of Society

The Economist.com has an column Video gaming | Chasing the dream which compares the video games of today to the rock and roll of the 1950s.

Like rock and roll in the 1950s, games have been accepted by the young and largely rejected by the old. Once the young are old, and the old are dead, games will be regarded as just another medium and the debate will have moved on. Critics of gaming do not just have the facts against them; they have history against them, too. "Thirty years from now, we'll be arguing about holograms, or something,"” says Mr Williams.

First of all, I really enjoy video games. I always have. I may not play them as often now as I once did, but I still find them very entertaining. I think this column raises some really valid points.

When I was in kindergartenen (about 1978) I remember my teacher, Mrs. Earnest, would always complain that we were unable to maintain our attention span because our brains had been warped by the TV. As I am sure anyone who has dealt with 5 year olds can confirm, they tend to be a little rowdy and don't sit still for long. So was she right? Were our brains really rotted by television? Well, I didn't have a TV at home until I was in 3rd grade (a great decision by my parents) and I was just as restless as the rest of the class. So my verdict is she was just blaming an outside source to make up for the fact she was unable to maintain the level of control on the class she wanted.

I have pointed out in the past that when new technology, specifically for entertainment or to make life easier, comes along, the established (or older) generation rejects it, while the new generations embrace it. Video Games are the latest innovation disputed along generational lines.

My opinion is that video games, just like its predecessors - TV, the Internet, Compute Bulletinen Board Systems, Comic Books, Rock and Roll, Books and Cave Paintingts are neither good nor bad. They are neutral. The decay of society results from the undisciplined over indulgence of these advances as well as the use of these mediums to deliver degrading messages. Of course the flip side is that the blaming of these outside advances and elements for our failings (especially as the older generation) only exasperates the situation.

There may be some aspects of society that are in decay, but on a whole society is improving. They sky is not falling, but you still don't want to be hit by too many acorns.

Tags: [Video Games] [Culture] [Generations] [Society]