Video Games always receive blame for society’s short comings. Violence, obesity, and educational underachievement are just the tip of the ice burg. But now, the video gaming industry has been accused of the highest treason against society.

The Australian Veterinary Association have come out and boldly declared that there is a decline in pet ownership and video games are to blame.

Right.

President, Kersti Seksel insists that “today’s kids interact more by playing computer games and less by going out there and throwing the ball to a dog.” Why is this a problem, exactly?
According to Seksel, “We need to learn people skills, physical skills, and sitting in the lounge room with a computer doesn’t teach you that.”

Leaving aside for a second the idea of learning “people skills” from playing with an animal, implying that game playing and pet ownership are somehow mutually exclusive is a little ridiculous. You might as well argue that reading books and talking on the phone are dangerous pastimes because they take away from time with your poor, neglected dog.

Kids are getting fatter and less motivated with school so video games are to blame? You can always tell these reports come from parents.
Heaven forbid parents aren’t to blame for why their kid is a fat, uninterested youth. It’s not like you don’t feed your kids properly or take an interest with them by playing sports and getting out once in a while. Oh no, crap, you don’t. Aren’t these the same parents that let the TV baby sit their children?

The simple truth is pet ownership, violence, lack of interest and obesity has nothing to do with video games. It has to do with the society that parents have developed for their children. Kids eat crap food, watch TV (or play video games) because that’s all they can do.

When I was a kid I played video games and played outside. I even went to parks. I go to the same parks today and the play equipment doesn’t exist. I would leave at 8 AM and return in the evening. Now, that’s unheard of.

Parents are babying their kids to the confines of their home and the parents aren’t there because their too busy working overtime to fill that house with stuff.

Just in case video games were making their kids fat, Nintendo has come along with the wii. It’s a better work out than walking the dog any day of the week.

I am a firm believer that history always repeats itself. Add an ipod and a big screen TV and we find ourselves living the same lives as those who went before us. They lived on the same planet, occupying the same land, asking the same questions, experiencing the same feelings, emotions, love and lose.

I have always found myself gravitated towards elders. What some may find as trivial, boring and chit-chat I seem to find fascinating. Talking to an elder is 10 times better than turning on a TV, in my opinion.

Tonight, I found myself (like many nights) listening to my Granddad talk about his past and upbringing. His past, as he points out is all he has left. We talked about many avenues tonight but this time we also covered some ground on his mixing with religion.

I have never thought my Granddad to be a religious character. By religious I mean reciting scripture and talking passionately about a God. No, Granddad is more reserved. As it turns out Granddad had many dealings with the catholic “church” establishment. Not very good ones I might add. The priests as it turns out were very much un-liked people in the neighborhood. People only talked with them and donated money out of fear and out of the priests manipulation.

The priests lost a lot of their popularity due to victimizing the poor by demanding too much money and scared their names from sex scandal after sex scandal. Back in the “olden days” it was a running joke that priests committed these crimes. Today, we take them a little more seriously.

All of this to say that I can sympathize with my Granddad for not taking up the “art” of religion.

I wonder though, who will be more condemned; those, like my Granddad who didn’t accept faith in God from those who offered it or those who offered it (the priests) and represented God like a total pompous jack ass?