I think the majority of the population tends to think that video games in general are harmful, whether it be because of the violence in the games or the addiction games such as �World of Warcraft� can cause. People tend not to realize that there are games out there specially designed for great purposes, such as helping children with autism in attention development. Games such as the one mentioned in the article can truly change the lives of these children. Many children with autism are not even able to communicate. Some can simply not speak, but there are games designed to help these children to speak, and if they can not speak, it will help them to communicate in different ways, such as through pictures or actions. More and more games are being released that are intended to help children learn, even for big name systems such as Sony PlayStation and or Nintendo Gamecube. Games such as �Brain Age� and �Trauma Center� for the Nintendo DS are excellent examples of video games that are a positive influence and help the player to learn. However, this does not mean that only games that teach are positive. Role-playing games such as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, The Legend of Zelda, and many others contain excellent messages that they share with the player. Final Fantasy X, which is considered very controversial to many, focuses strongly on religion and the problems or abuses that take place. Of course, the game is entirely fantasy and fiction, but it is very apparent when playing the game that the messages apply to the real world as well. The Metal Gear Solid series focuses on politics and war. Metal Gear Solid 2 was an excellent story which involved a secret government known as �the Patriots,� which are actually the main people behind what happens in the United States. The president is actually a pawn or actor controlled by the Patriots, and democracy is just an idea the population is made to believe they have. Of course, once again this story is entirely fictional, but there are many aspects in the game that relate directly to what is going on in the world right now. Metal Gear Solid 4, for example, seems to be strongly influenced by the war in Iraq. Basically, what I am saying is there are many games out there designed for teaching and helping children develop, but there are also many mainstream games with excellent stories and messages; games that are no different than reading a book with a good story. Video games are not just about shooting and killing aliens or human beings, there are games that are much deeper than that. I just wish that people in this world would recognize that there are many more of these types of games than the others that inspire violence.
