Video games: how many people play daily, or have played at least once in their lives? Well about 64% of American households have at least one person who plays video games on a regular basis according to Industry facts. But why, do people get addicted to video games.

   Now most of us know that many teens are on video games more, but what exactly does this affect and what could happen from constantly playing video games?

  Violent first-person video games increase the brain’s grey matter. Grey matter is region of the brain that controls muscles, sensory perception, memory, emotions, speech, decision making, and self-control.

  Video games have been linked with higher risks of brain illnesses, including depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s disease. This is scary to think that your child could get this from just playing a video game.

 Players meet random people when playing games like Call of Duty, Fortnite, Borderlands etc, and this can lead to Internet predators, stalkers, and kidnappings.  

  A recent story came to light of a Fortnite predator. Anthony Gene Thomas, a 41-year-old man of Broward County, is accused of unlawful sex with a minor and possessing indecent images and videos of at least one victim.

  This was caused when he had started grooming a 17-year-old girl using cash and gifts. One of the gifts had been a mobile phone which allowed him to contact the her.

  This led to them meeting in late August 2018. Thomas drove the minor to his home where the sexual offences were committed.

  This shows that there should be a warning, something to make teens and children know the effects of video games and what could happen.

  Although, I know personally that none of this information will alter my opinion on video games or make me stop playing them, as I’m sure others won’t either, we teens should make younger children more aware of this, more aware that there are predators willing to stalk and kidnap them.

  We have to be careful who we are giving out information to and who we talk to whether it may be in the lobby of Black Ops 2 or in squad mode on Fortnite. We have more advanced technology and that makes it ten times easier to find anyone.

  Predators are everywhere and we need to protect those that are unaware of dangers like this.