I found one of my earlier paper papers titled Video Games and your Brain, and realized two very important facts I was not as great a writer as I thought I was one and two I was on to something big when I considered how Mirror Neurons were manipulated by the stimulus from the gaming world. Just to get things rolling I’ll make a bold statement, we can through our mirror neurons learn and experience how to perform certain actions that we ourselves may never have done one day in our lives. Mirror Neurons are credited with learning through imitation. The argument that people have been making from the beginning of time is this, violent video games make you want to be violent. And the counter argument is such “I’ve been playing video games for _ number of years, and even though I can tell you how many rounds are in a standard-issue Desert Eagle (thank you counter strike) I’ve never owned one, let alone planned to kill someone with it. Why haven’t I turned to a life of violent crime?” (Gouskos 2006)

I think its time we learn to separate the potential facts from the numerous amounts of fiction. Mirror neurons through the use of video games have the possibility teach us real world skills such as cooking, driving, and a plethora of other physical abilities (don’t be surprised if you pick up a little martial arts) through learning through imitation and empathy the two functions credited to these particular neurons working in conjunction with other important brain functions. Considering the recent developments with the ban on sale of the Grand theft Auto series in Thailand do to the heinous crime committed by a foolish man, it would seem that it would be easy to make the game the perpetrator of the crime, but whatever happened to self accountability? If we watch the news and copy a certain murder should the news be banned? If we listen to a song and follow the clearly dangerous lyrics harming ourselves should the album be destroyed and removed from circulation? It is and still should be the widespread belief that it is free will that controls action and not influence.

If someone cannot discern reality from fiction then that person is not competent for a slew of other activities, they need serious assistance health wise and from special education needs, and the last thing they should be given access to is any form of media that can influence their actions. These people should not be gamers, I do believe that the mass majority of us do not fit into this category and when we commit foolish or criminal acts they should be treated as such and not by whatever influenced us to do so unless the influence was acting in consort in which case it is also criminally responsible. Free will, the right to choose and common sense out weigh any video game makes you violent argument any day of the week, we cant say that gaming does not have a hand in de-sensitizing our youth to violence, but we can say it does not force them to violence!