I feel like I should be completely upfront with you before we begin. I am what is considered a “hardcore” gamer. I picked up my first game controller by the time I was 5 years old. Each year, I spend a couple hundred dollars on video game software and accessories. I’ve got over a dozen different gaming consoles. My collection of games is nearing 500, or so it was at last count. Suffice to say, I enjoy video games.

So it hits a little close to home when I hear people talking about the horrible things they think gaming does to people. There seems to be this idea that gamers are socially inept outcasts or violent psychopaths waiting to snap. In the public eye, video games are a meaningless hobby at best, and an addiction at worst. The problem with these statements is that most people who make these generalizations are barely familiar with the world of gaming.

It’s likely that many members of our population have never considered gaming as anything more than a simple form of entertainment. Why aren’t games considered works of art? Of course I’m not referring to the obvious pieces of consumerism out there like the “Madden” series, or the latest big movie tie-in. But certain titles, such as Sony’s “Shadow of the Colossus,” or Ubisoft’s “Beyond Good & Evil,” tell emotional and powerful stories through the use of narrative and imagery. If films are art, why not games, then? In fact, France’s Order of Arts and Letters knighted three game developers in 2006 in recognition of their contributions to French culture through their video games.

The gaming community has also helped our society. Most people probably don’t know about “Child’s Play.” It’s a charity set up by Penny Arcade, a webcomic by gamers and for gamers, which focuses on supplying toys, games and funds to children’s hospitals worldwide. Penny Arcade recently mentioned that through the generous donations of their readers, as well as gamers across the globe, they’ve raised over $1 million since the charity was founded over a year ago, all of which has gone to help children in the various hospitals they work with.

There’s no denying that people can have unhealthy relationships with gaming. I strongly believe you can be addicted to anything, given the right conditions. But I would argue that if the average sports fan isn’t considered sick or weird, then neither should gamers. What exactly is the difference? Same goes for poker players, fans of shopping, stamp collectors, etc. There are very few differences between gaming and most other hobbies, and there’s no reason it should be singled out as the black sheep.

I’m not here to cause any trouble. I respect the opinions of those who worry about the dangers of video games, and I can understand their fears to a point. (For that matter, I also respect the well intentioned yet poorly presented arguments to the contrary.) But to state that there’s no good side to the world of video games is a bold and ignorant move.

It’s not really a surprise that video games are being scrutinized so much. Throughout the years, the newest forms of art and entertainment are almost always put through a series of trials before the general public accepts them. Novels went through it; rock music went through it; even ballroom dancing was put to the test. Perhaps gaming is just earning its wings, so to speak. All I ask is for people to maybe look at the world of video games with more of an open mind … maybe they might even learn something.