The Harmful Effects of Video Games on the World's Youth Since the dawn of time, games have captivated human interest. Over the past forty years, a new type of gaming has taken America by storm. Started by taking coins out of the pockets of young boys in arcades across the country, the addiction to video games began. Addiction has progressed to the point where it significantly affects brain activity and elicits abnormal, potentially malignant behavior. Like a train without brakes, the video game revolution has exploded and no one can stop it. Starting in the late 1970s, in shopping malls across the United States, arcades began to sprout up. The golden age of stand-up arcade games had begun. For America, it was a whole new form of entertainment that no one had ever seen before and a new activity that young people could enjoy on weekends. Never before had they been able to interact with something on screen. It became a new way for already competitive teens to dominate each other and claim a proven, constantly competing winner, with teens across America training quarter after quarter in machines like Pac Man and Donkey Kong until to exhaust their allowances. This was only the beginning of the impact that video games would have on young and old in America (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters). Over the next few years, software and hardware engineers stepped up their game and took their games to the next level. the house. Before video games appeared in arcades, games like Pong were available for home use, but for the first time, complex games that were only available in commercial arcades were now available for people to play from the comfort of their homes. It also took addiction to the next level; after middle of paper......tricions, minor children are always influenced by violent games. Some may say that it is the developer's fault since they produce violent games without any recourse because they know that the game will be subject to a rating system and that they will not be responsible for it (Robinson 420-422). In today's society, most young people play some form of video game. Depending on the amount of play and the type of play, the effect it has on the user is determined. Whether it is violent behavior, diminished social life, or dedication to the competitive aspect of games over a period of time, there is a negative effect on the user playing to these games. With the help of federal rating systems and responsible parents, the malicious side effects of gaming can be controlled, but at present, the consequences of video game addiction are constantly affecting adolescents around the world..