Interview

Sean Bostrom is a very down to earth and simple kid. He likes to spend his time with his friends and enjoys sports. When asked what his favorite vacation was he answered, "I am not the traveling type", he likes his home town and the people in it. "Cliff jumping from forty feet into water with some friends," is one of the most interesting things he has ever done, to name one of many. Sean enjoys playing sports on game day, but does not like practicing his favorite sport: squash. In regards to school, the experienced senior explains: "The new additions on the school are nice, however ac is needed!" Sean's favorite car is the 67 Ford Mustang GT and favorite movie is Dazed and Confused. Sean does appreciate his relatives and would like to travel eventually. He states, "I would like to travel to Sweden because that is my heritage and I want to learn more about my family". I am sure there is much more to learn about this kind and interesting guy.

Negatives of video games/ video games vs. reality

The controversy over whether video games have negative effects on children and teenagers has been an interesting topic in past years. There are both positives and negatives surrounding video games. Many think that as young gamers we cannot differentiate the video game we are playing from real life. Some negatives of video games are that they cause those who play them to be more violent, obese, and reckless drivers. Shouldn’t gamers be able to distinguish a video game from real life? Video games may just be the blame for poor choices by those who happen to play them.

There have been many reports of parents saying that their children have had increased levels of hostility and aggression after playing violent video games such as “Grand Theft Auto” and “Call of Duty”.  Children may see people shooting each other and think that it is real life. This may be true, but the parents have to take some of the blame as well. A parent is making a mistake by allowing their child to partake in playing a game such as Grand Theft Auto because they are simply not ready to play it. The game is rated “M” for mature players. If the gamer is not old enough to play the game, then those allowing them to play should be at fault, not the video game it self. People have to realize that the video game is fake and not real life.

Video games have been linked to obesity because those who play them seem to lose touch with reality. A child who over plays a video game is spending too much time on the couch and should be exercising. If the gamer is putting more time into their online character rather than going outside to play, the lines of video games and reality have been blurred. Obesity can then cause a downward spiral of other bad things, all stemming from playing too much video games.  Spending too much time playing a video game can also cause a lack of sleep, a contributor to obesity. The brain needs time to relax and not be stimulated with endless hours of video games.

Another negative of video games is that it has been related to reckless driving. Gamers race sports cars around a city running red lights and driving well over the speed limit and then translate that into real life. This is simply the gamers’ fault. They have to be able to draw a line between the video game they choose to play and reality. Just because they can drive like an idiot in a video game does not mean they can run red lights on the way to work. Gamers, experienced drivers or not, should know better and not blame a racing game for why they got into a car crash.

Gaming and reality are two completely different entities that should be compared. Games are growing to become more like real life as ever, but we all have to realize that it is still just a game. There are also many positives to video games such as they can teach hand eye coordination without the gamer even realizing it. Gamers should not blame video games, but rather learn that they have no real effect in their life.