Why Do Many Boys Find Video Games Appealing?

Today, I'm going to give you a viewpoint on video games that probably hasn't ever occurred to you, and just might change the way you view video games and those that play them. In this post, I'm not declaring video games as either good or bad or addressing the affects they have on people. I know that video games have vast amounts of pros and cons, and there's probably 3 million articles out there about their affects on the human mind. I'm not going to tell you video games are either beneficial or detrimental. Today, I'm simply going to share some ideas and statistics with you that will hopefully spark some sympathy and understanding in you regarding boy's (often excessive) use of video games. I've grown up watching a lot of Moms become concerned for their teenage sons because of the amount of appeal that an interactive screen has for their precious child. My greatest hope for this post is that it will fill all the Moms out there with an overflowing hope, sympathy, reassurance, and understanding for their children. Today, I'd like to suggest to all the concerned parents out there that, by playing video games, your son may be consciously or subconsciously trying desperately to do what's right and protect himself.

What Is The Appeal of Video Games?

Before I get started, I should point out the surprising fact that, in the USA, twice as many women play video games as boys! However, because I'm not female and I have no idea how video games appeal to women, I will focus more on the boys in this post. There are a lot of writings and opinions about why video games are appealing to boys. Most articles point out that video games supply some sort of "goal" toward which boys can strive and work to obtain some sort of reward. Other articles talk about how video games can be a release for anger or a vent for testosterone. Still other opinions say that boys enjoy video games because overcoming obstacles and challenges gives them a sense of victory and accomplishment. However, while all those opinions may be true to some extent, I'd like to submit to you the idea that video games may be appealing to your teenage boy for a very different reason: they are the ultimate mental distraction from the impossible battle.


The Impossible Battle:

Video games stimulate the human mind better than nearly any other form of visual entertainment on the planet, requiring boy's brains to make an unbroken, never-ending stream of split-second decisions one after another. Video games require the full attention and engagement of a boy's mental energy, allowing little to no room for any outside thought. While that can sometimes be a bad thing, it can also be a huge help to boys too. What if I were to suggest to you that, because of the complete mental attention video games require, boys often run to them as an escape from temptation? You see, society often makes the incorrect assumption that, when a boy plays a video game, he is satisfying some sluggish, lazy urge to be a couch-potato. But in reality, boys may be doing just the opposite. By thinking that boys run to video games as a form of blind entertainment or aggression release, we're really displaying a lack of understanding about the way males are designed by God. You see, guys have struggles that they simply cannot beat. You might say, "Seth, with God, all things are possible! Boys suffer no temptation impossible for them to defeat." But you're not portraying the whole picture. Boys have this thing called a sex-drive. They can resist with a supernatural strength all they want, but in the end, they WILL fail, because God didn't design them to "resist" it. The only way for a boy to avoid sexual temptation successfully and consistently is to keep himself from being placed in a situation where that temptation can take hold of him. 1st Corinthians 10:13 says, "And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it." Notice it does not say "God will give you the strength to RESIST any temptation." It says God will provide "AN ESCAPE." To quote Faramir in J.R.R. Tolkien's the Two Towers: "I am wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee." In other words, for boys to try and "fight" sexual urges is a pointless venture. The ultimate "way of escape" God has provided for boys when it comes to sexual immorality is marriage, but since today's society makes that nearly impossible until they're in their twenties, distraction will have to do until then. And for many boys, video games are one of the ultimate mental distractions available. This news should hearten Mothers beyond imagination! Your son is trying so hard! Next time you see your son playing video games, instead of fearing that he's being lazy or sluggish, take comfort in the fact that he may be trying with all his heart to avoid temptation in the only way he knows how: distraction.

Still Don't Believe Me?

Think about the age at which most boys begin playing hours upon hours of fast-paced, intense video games! What age do you immediately think of? The teen years. Right smack dead in the center of puberty and sexual development. And I'm not saying you should encourage your son to play video games all day! All I'm saying is that boys have to have something to distract themselves with; something that they can pour huge amounts of energy and devotion into. If boys don't have a distraction or subject of devotion, they will not be able to resist when a sexual urge comes knocking, which, according to research, can be up to 388 times per day. (No exaggeration. Check out the research links below.) It is critical for boys to find distraction in their lives. Distraction can be anything. Not just video games. I personally think that the best distraction from porn temptation and other sexual temptation is for a boy to find a girl to devote himself to and remain loyal to in his head. Other distractions include splitting wood, lifting weights, playing music, watching engaging movies, and visiting with friends regularly.

Alternatively, as a society, we could just keep condemning video games and other distractions and watch porn addiction and pre-marital sex climb in the lives of our young men and women. Our choice.


https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-sexual-continuum/201112/how-often-do-men-and-women-think-about-sex

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/10/17/more-women-play-video-games-than-boys-and-other-surprising-facts-lost-in-the-mess-of-gamergate/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e237ed3d68c8