Introduction

[Attention Grabber] Since the beginning of gaming in the early 1970's, technology has made huge strides into the world of video games that are played today. One of the first in home consoles played one game that consisted of two small white bars against a black screen with a small white ball bouncing from bar to bar. Video games today depict scenarios with realistic looking features and thousands of different games to choose from. Gamers can now interact with people from all over the world and are exposed to blood, gore, death, sex, theft, and destruction. Although people are also exposed to all of this in television shows and movies, actually interacting in these scenarios has a different influence on many gamers, especially children.
Not only have video games changed, but society has also changed in the past few decades. The acceptance of what children are exposed to today has been influenced by video game playing. Although gaming brings joy to millions of children, interaction through video games, as opposed to watching movies or television, is more influential and harmful to the social growth of adolescents. Video games can promote violence in children and desensitize them to harsh situations. The difference of video game ratings versus movie and television program ratings can be a factor to children being exposed to scenarios that are not age appropriate. Children who start gaming at a young age can grow up to have social problems such as aggression. It is a parent's responsibility to monitor the games their children play but some things can go undetected such as interaction with older players through live gaming and games played outside the home.