Re: “Think twice about violent video games,” Letters, The Leader, Jan. 26.
The aim of video games is not bloodshed and violence any more than the aim of sports is hurting people.
In fact, video games are useful tools that teach the current generation.
They teach what loss means. When you lose a match, it teaches you to cope with the failure.
Video games are books that have come to life.
I could spend hours talking to my friends about the plot of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations or Batman: Arkham City.
And when Sgt. John Forge dies at the end of Halo Wars or when Sgt. Johnson dies in the original Halo trilogy, I actually feel grief.
Video games help you feel more and better. For a brief second you know what it is to lose a good friend without actually losing a friend.
Video games use true storytelling. The only dramatic and plot-building devices they have are cut scenes and yet they can tell better stories than movies or books can.
Also, the multiplayer in the game extends the life of the game so it’s not use once and throw away. You’re spending $60 on a lifetime of entertainment.
I have played Halo and Call of Duty for years.
Furthermore, within the multiplayer the gamer learns to adapt and make friends. He/ she learns to set goals, to plan ahead, to analyze a situation, to make a split-second decision, to get over others disabilities, to cooperate, to coordinate, to accept defeat and to think dynamically.
Are video games violent? Yes. But this is and never has been their aim.
Video games may make you more susceptible to anger or they may cost you money, but not more than sports make you want to hurt people or food makes you want to stuff yourself.
Vishnu Jayaprakash
Grade 9 student
Sequam Secondary School
