Video games can certainly be a lot of fun. There are many games that are educational, mentally challenging, and fun for the whole family. However, there are also many violent and explicit games that have been shown to have a negative effect on the health of youth by countless studies. Just think of the way that video games have evolved. It used to be that video game action was restricted to a little yellow man running after pellets and ghosts, or a spaceship shooting at rows of alien fighters.

Then came the advent of Nintendo with its Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt. As soon as the technological capability existed to create realistic violence, video game programmers started making violent games. One of the most memorable is Mortal Kombat, a fighting game that featured blood and violent death scenes. There were some attempts to curb the violence, but that seems to have passed by the wayside as the technology surged forward.

Now, with a game like Grand Theft Auto, a person can play a character that commits a number of crimes, including murder, prostitution, theft. If you don’t think any of this has a real negative impact on behavior, take a look at the research.