Video games are actually good for you

I have been busy as of late. -=Rebuttals=- My opponent first attacks my case by saying that she advises families to check ratings before allowing children to play games. However, there is many families who do not strictly monitor the severity of the games. Many gamers play games rated above their age level, or specified rating. In fact, the same company she brought up, ESA (Entertainment Software Association) released statistics on the average age of gamers, and the percentage of gamers in each age group. The report of the Average Age Data for Gamers taken in 2012 showed that the average overall gamer is 30 years old. Besides this, 32% are under 18 years, 31% 18-35, and 37% who are 36 or more years old. [1] This shows that a large percentage of all gamers play under 18 years of age. Furthermore, in 2013, 20% of games sold were the "shooter" genre, second to most behind "action" at 30.9%. [2] Both of those top two categories frequently contain explicit and violent content. Lastly, in this general argument, my opponent states that she does not advocate for violent games being good for children. However, under the premise of the debate, she did not and has not specified to what type of games the resolution is referring. Thus, violent games fall under the umbrella of the resoltuion, and are pertinent in the debate. Her second attack is against the harm for users eyes. She claims that the harms are not due to the computers and/or gaming monitors themselves, but strictly to eye fatigue. However, that is the problem that we face when considering eye problems in relation to gaming. TED speaker, New York Times Bestselling author and game designer Jane McGonigal shows just how much time gamers spend at their hobby. "Currently there are more than half a billion people worldwide playing computer and videogames at least an hour a day -- and 183 million in the U. S. alone. The younger you are, the more likely you are to be a gamer -- 99% of boys under 18 and 94% of girls under 18 report playing videogames regularly. The average young person racks up 10,000 hours of gaming by the age of 21 -- or 24 hours less than they spend in a classroom for all of middle and high school if they have perfect attendance. It's a remarkable amount of time we're investing in games. 5 million gamers in the U. S. , in fact, are spending more than 40 hours a week playing games -- the equivalent of a full time job! " [3] The same network my opponent used to back her claim supports this notion as well. Times Magazine documented that "the average U. S. gamer age 13 or older spent 6.3 hours a week playing video games during 2013. That’s up from 5.6 hours in 2012, which was up from 5.1 hours in 2011. " [4] The trend is not moving in the right direction, and will only lead to further fatigue of the eyes, thus causing Computer Vision Syndrome at an increasing rate among gamers. Her next argument focuses on the reality that teens spend a lot of time gaming, which results in socially inactiveness and often awkardness. She claims that the older generation just "doesn't get it" and that the teens and children just need a break after school. However, we also see that coming straight home from school and gaming doesn't require the physical exertion necessary for teens to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and instead, many teens become sedentary. Centers for Disease Control and prevention suggest that teens and children get a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity each day. They state, "Aerobic activity should make up most of your child's 60 or more minutes of physical activity each day. [Muscle strengthening should be done] at least 3 days per week as part of your child's 60 or more minutes. [Bone strengthening should be done] at least 3 days per week as part of your child's 60 or more minutes. " [5] The long hours of playing video games is only detrimental. My opponent then claims that there is no link to shooting games and violent crimes. She backs that up by saying 91% of people play games, which is no support. People can still be affected even though many people play the game. Refer back to the evidence from Vladan Starcevic. The shooters directly linked their actions to the game. -=Claims=-My opponent also brings up that games help with teamwork. This minute benefit is outweighed by the host of harms. Her next claim is that video games assist problem solving and creativity. This is benefit is also outweighed by harms that can come from attempting to receive those benefits. Sources:[1] . http://www.geekquality.com...[2] . http://www.theesa.com...[3] . http://www.ted.com...[4] . http://time.com...[5] . http://www.cdc.gov...