Errors on Video About Dangers of Video Games

A video presentation, “Video Games and Children: Virtual Playground Vs. Danger Zone,” was shown by Governor Eliot Spitzer and Staten Island’s Division of Criminal Justice.

It’s amazing how ignorant many adults are about video games. The presentation refers to a web site, “Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence”, mavav.org. In fact, this site is a parody, and the group does not exist. One skim through the site and one will realize just how fake it is – it is amazing that the creators of the presentation did not spot it. The site also made several other errors, including reporting that the Virginia Tech killer, Seung Hui Cho, played Counter-Strike, which in fact is completely false, according to a panel that reviewed the shooting.

Unfortunately, parents today often get a mixed message about video games. They tend to believe that all games are evil, or completely harmless, but nowhere in between.