Steven Johnson writes in the LA Times about how violent video games are actually making kids smarter and safer – as opposed to “a game that instills aggressive thoughts in the minds of its players, some of whom have gone on to commit real-world acts of violence and sexual assault after playing” – high school football.
The Adam Smith Institute points out that during the period in which gaming has become widespread in America, violent crime has fallen by half. Also games are widely used to train pilots, soldiers and surgeons, and are used in schools and businesses as they require players to construct hypotheses and solve problems.
Opposition to them is reminiscent of the opposition older generations had to rock and roll in the 1950s. Of course people look back now and wonder what all the fuss was about. They will do the same with video games.