Don’t let video games destroy the fun of activity

by William Belson

With the months to come there is also the great weather that is accompanied by them. Instead of staying inside and playing video games during the great weather we get only a few months out of the year in our great state of Michigan, go outside and have some fun like most of us used to when we were little kids, or like they did a long time ago when dinosaurs roamed the… I mean when your parents were kids.

Some of you that read this paper may be the greatest gamers and think, “How can someone not have the latest videogame system?” These frivolous things are, in my opinion, a waste of money and time and should only be used on a rainy day or a snow day, when there is absolutely nothing you can do. Video games have been taking all the excitement of life and turning them into almost a complete joke, such as playing outside like we used to when we were kids. I guess instead of encouraging you to go outside and shoot baskets, play baseball/wiffle ball with your friends, throw the football around, etc, your parents must love you enough to just say “Shut up! Here’s the (insert game console here) you wanted!” and give you what you want to keep you quiet.

I will agree with you gamers that video games are fun to play and will admit I bought a videogame system, but regret that I ever did. What happened to all of the kids that used to shoot hoops in their driveways? What happened to just tossing the football around in the yard with buddies? I know what happened to that—we live in the videogame era and we are now consumed by it, and those kids now spend 72 straight hours on the latest videogame.

Video games have desensitized these young adults and caused them to be extremely lazy and help increase the obesity percentage in America in young adults. These video game companies should be ashamed of what they have done to what America used to be like when kids went outside and shot hoops for hours just to pass the time (or even excel at an athletic event) instead of wasting time and electricity on something entirely frivolous. As time goes on, the entire situation keeps getting worse. Since the start of the “great” videogame era that started in the ‘80s, it has gotten quite out of control, in my personal opinion.

If the videogame era keeps on proceeding like it has, we will never be able to reverse the damage it has done on kids today. Psychologist have discussed this certain idea of the generation after us and decided that they will not be quite as capable of being able to read peoples’ faces and know how they feel. I do agree with what the psychologist say about what is in store for the kids of tomorrow. What I am talking about is not just my opinion. Newspapers, internet blogs and studies discuss how bad video games are effecting our youth such as the increase in violence, decreased social skills, and obesity. A study shows that there has been an increase in obesity by 300 percent in three decades caused by video games and television, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

So when the first 60-degree day comes, put down the controller from your beloved game system and pick up a football or baseball; just something to help you enjoy the “the greater things in life”, such as the lawn that was finally released from its bond with the winter snow, and breathe deeply that fresh air that makes everything so much better once it reaches your lungs. Yes, there is nothing that can replace the outside and the fun you have out there.