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Image source: kotaku.com

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates video games based on the content and their suitability. M-rated (mature) games are controversial video games with intense violent, blood and gore, strong language, or sexual content. The content is suitable for persons aged 17 and above.

These games may expose one to more violence making them think violence is an acceptable behavior and an effective strategy in solving conflicts. This article highlights the pros and cons of mature-rated content to help understand whether it is constructive or destructive for you.

Pros:

1. Develop various skills: Violent video games improves brain activities and make one enhance his/her memory thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

2. Avenue for expression: Playing m-rated games enables one to express or vent out his frustrations in a safe and controlled environment.

3. Teach the consequences of one’s action: To win the game, you have to follow the rules. These games teach you about the importance of adhering to the rules and also learn the consequences of each action taken.

4. Improves individual perception of detail: Playing m-rated video games enables one to easily spot targets on a cluttered screen. They also have high attention to details.

5. Age-defying: Various game scenes induce pumping of player’s adrenaline and teach them how to make a quick decision. Exposure to these types of video games can delay the aging process.

6. Ease personal perception of pain: Playing the violent video games demand full mental involvement on an activity and this helps to reduce on pain. When going through a painful process, being exposed to video games will reduce the pain.

7. Coping mechanism for difficult emotions: The coping mechanisms in a virtual reality environment enable the game players to apply the same mechanisms, in reality, to deal with difficult emotions.

8. Offer an opportunity for family/friends bonding: You can play video games as a family or with friends creating a good avenue for bonding.

9. Encourage teamwork: The today’s m-rated games are based on teamwork concepts. The player has to work with other team members and create the desired outcome.

10. Do not increase the likelihood of real-life violence: Playing the violent video games does not change one’s behavior. The popularity and exposure to these video games have led to reduced crime rates among the youth.

Cons:

1. Cause addiction: Violent games tend to be very addictive and most of the players find themselves spending too much time playing the games making them live an unhealthy lifestyle.

2. Makes violence acceptable: It makes one think violence is an effective strategy to solve conflict. A research carried out shows that those who played the violent games sometimes think violence will enable them to solve disputes.

3. Violence is fun: Killing and hurting people in the video games is entertaining and this can make the game players imitate the actions learned for fun.

4. Assume violent character: Advanced video games enable the players to engage more through various controllers and peripherals and this makes them often assume the violent characters in the game.

5. Decentralizing effect: Violent video games have decentralizing and desensitizing effect thus making it difficult for gamers to differentiate between fantasy and reality.

6. Encourage young people to play: Although their rated mature content, the cartoon nature of the game encourages young children to play them.

7. Bad influence: Violent video game players think that those who oppose the game should die. Although they don’t take action but only think, the game influences them and can make young people increase their aggressive thoughts and angry feelings.

8. Increases school bullying: M-rated games have been blamed for increased school bullying, violence towards women, and encourage sexual activities.

9. Hand injuries: Repetitively playing of the video game for long hours can cause motion injury, affects some nerves found on your fingers or thumbs and other risk associated with sitting posture while playing the game.

10. Risk of obesity: Sitting for an extended period of time can increase the risk of weight gain in teens.