(Not) Making a Murderer

In August 2015, the American Psychological Association released a report “linking” video games to violent crimes. Every mentally stable gamer I know of, including myself, completely disagrees. I have been playing video gamester the majority of my life, and they have developed from a hobby to a passion, like a lot of people in my generation. I have yet to kill anyone. On the contrary, I would say that video games have developed my critical thinking, concentration, and social skills, among other things. I’m not saying that there has never been a serial killer who hasn’t played a little bit of Call of Duty, but I’m sure an unstable home life or getting beat up at school on the daily might be more of a “trigger.” If anything, firing virtual AK-47s or stealing somebody’s car might blow off some steam.

Also, parents should support their children if they choose to pursue a career in video games. The gaming industry has developed into a multi-billion dollar industry, and grows larger every day. Many young men are passionate about video games like young women are passionate about beauty and fashion, but you wouldn’t deny your daughter (or son) support if she wanted to attend cosmetology or beauty school. If young people have a sincere interest in the field and are prepared to work hard and learn along the way, they can be successful. Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Software, which has created video game hits like the Half-Life series and Dota 2, as well as the gaming platform Steam, is worth over $2 billion. Gabe could buy a LOT of AK-47s with that kind of money, but instead he buys race cars.