The Pros and Cons of Having Video Games in Your Home

A lot of parents let their kids play video games all of the time. Some thoughts that we had while deciding if we would have them in our home.

Pros of Having Video Games in Your Home

1. It is a built-in babysitter. Kids can play for hours, and parents don't have to watch them as closely. Those of us with kids know how frustrating it can be when kids start getting in everything! Video games can be a great way to entertain the kids while keeping them contained in a single area and out of your hair for a minute.
2. Video games can be a fun family activity, especially with new gaming styles that appeal to a wide range of people. You don't have to be a button-mashing wizard to enjoy gaming with much virtual reality and motion-controlled games. Offering more casual gamers the chance to enjoy gaming.
3. You can connect with friends virtually. Long gone are the days of pen-pals and snail-mail. With online video games, it is possible to play the same game with your friends from across the world. Chat options also allow you to meet new people in gaming.
4. Bonding with siblings. Let's face it, siblings can be a real pain in the rear at times. I remember never getting along with my younger brother until finally starting gaming together. Gaming was the bridge between us that has allowed him and me to be quite close now as adults.
5. Fun hobby. Except for a few rare titles, video games were never designed to be boring. ;)
6. Teaches puzzle-solving skills. My wife will disagree. I am the puzzle-solving master in our family! One of the staples of video games revolving around learning new ways to look at a problem and figure a way around it. It isn't hard to understand why those who play them have an advantage in this department.
7. Push yourself to conquer levels/challenges. Similar to the last point, video games teach perseverance and progress so much that they are addicting in this manner. Just look at how businesses are copying video games now.
8. You can be whoever you want to be and explore worlds that would otherwise never exist. Whether you are a purple tiger with angel wings or a stout dwarf with a giant hammer. Virtual worlds allow game designers and players to express themselves in new and exciting ways without having the same limits as in the "real world".
9. Provides people with disabilities a pastime. Unlike other pastimes, video relies on less physical capabilities to be enjoyed. And for those with mental disabilities, video games can be enjoyed even if the player doesn't follow the intended manner of the game being played. Just look at twitch, and you'll see thousands of hours of game footage of people intentionally playing games wrong!

Cons of Having Video Games in Your Home

1. Video games can be addictive, and even the best of us can struggle with losing track of time when playing. Not only that, but addiction can lead to aggressiveness and depression when you are interrupted or kept from playing.
2. Family members and responsibilities can be neglected. Again, time is a precious commodity like any good hobby. Video games can easily chew up large amounts of time if you aren't disciplined enough to control them.
3. Can lead to inactivity and health problems. It has been proven that sitting for long periods can be hazardous to your health. Some games have more interactive movements (Wii Fit anyone?!?) Most games are still dominantly sitting only.
4. Can be inappropriate, (violent, pornographic, suggestive). There are interesting studies that have been done showing the marketing strategies used by gaming companies. They try to include more and more suggestive and obscene content to hook young boys. 
5. Expensive hobby. It's no secret that video games are expensive and getting worse with one of the biggest plagues to hit gaming... Microtransactions!
6. Can be very repetitive. We get it coming up with original titles every year is challenging, but c'mon, do we really need 24 calls of duty games???
7. Need a sizable chunk of time to enjoy. Often times it is hard to enjoy gaming unless you have at least an hour or more block of time to devote to truly enjoy gaming.
8. Social deficiencies may develop. Whether it is a lack of socializing or flaming and trolling, video games have never cultivated the best social habits in people.
9. People who play might have increased aggression or irrational behaviors. The jury is still out on whether video games actually lead to violent behaviors, so we will leave it up to you to decide where you lie on this topic.

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." - Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Kevin