Gamer: Playing Through The Pain

GameCore is CBSNews.com's gaming column written by William Vitka.

This is not always the case, however, especially when it comes to people like Jack Thompson, Hillary Clinton, Yee Leland, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alex Diaz de la Portilla, Joe Lieberman and other politicians and activists pushing for legislation of video game content, particularly violent games.

Maybe, maybe, it is just that lawmakers do not see enough concrete evidence that video games are, or can be, an extremely positive influence on people. It is very simple. Look to the gamers to see the positives of gaming. Look to gamers like Steven Burkeland.

Burkeland just turned 18 and he says he's been playing video games for 12 years – ever since his father bought him a Nintendo GameBoy. He emailed GameCore saying that, although CBS News might not even bother to talk to him, video games have been an important and healthy part of his life. He says a primary reason is that he was born with a defect called club foot.

"Simply put, club foot is a birth defect of the foot that occurs once per 1,000 live births in the U.S.," Burkeland told me. "The foot has a typical appearance of pointing downwards and twisted inwards. In most cases, it can be corrected with a series of castings."

The castings did not work for him, so surgery was performed. But even that didn't last. Years later, his foot started twisting again.

"At five, they took me in for another surgery, which seemed like it worked until I was 13 and I relapsed," Burkeland recalled. "The next three years were the worst. At age 13, I went in for a surgery where they placed metal pins in my foot to help straighten it, but a month afterwards one of my incisions got infected."

He went on to describe how doctors discovered that the pins they had placed in his foot had snapped in half. At age 14, he underwent another surgery to remove the old pieces and replace them with larger screws. In the process of doing this, nerves in Burkeland's foot were damaged. The good news, he said, is that the nerves grow back – they just hurt as they do.

"Now I'm just happy to walk," Burkeland said.

Throughout his ordeal, and still today, video games have been Burkeland's way to do the things that his foot prevented. "In games, I can run, I can jump, I can play sports, and I can defeat fantasy creatures and save the world."

"Now more than ever do I play video games," he said, "because as I get older and continue growing, even more stress and strain is put on my foot. And video games take my mind off my pain and allow me to live at least through the characters as a normal person."

However, if video games' detractors are right, Burkeland should be in line to snap. Not only does he play a lot of games, he also runs a role playing games site called The RP Site.

"I think video games are a very good thing," he said. "They allow people to be what ever they want and allow people to take there minds off of things. I've played violent video games for years and I'm a pacifist. I just play them to vent anger and frustration sometimes as an outlet."

Burkeland said that he and many kids in his school play games like Grand Theft Auto, which has sparked controversy and congressional scrutiny for its graphic content. But said that it hasn't made him violent in any way.

He thinks, "Games don't corrupt our minds. It's how we act and our own morals that decide what kind of people we are. Some may want to use video games as an excuse, but…it comes down to the person and the choices they make."

Burkeland doesn't believe that video games need to be legislated, or even that they should be. He believes that if parents and politicians really cared about safeguarding children, they would make the effort to read the warning labels and decide what media is right for their kids: "On every game box, it says the rating of the game and why it is rated that way. Most parents know that and read it and decide for themselves and never complain. It's those parents who ignore the ratings until they see what the kid is doing and then care what their kids are doing that are the vocal ones from what I can see."

Burkeland's parents agree with him. His mother, Sue Solin, says that we do not need laws dictating what games people and buy and when. The ratings system in place is adequate, she says, but parents need to talk to their children.

"Steve and I have always had a very open relationship and discuss issues like violence, drugs and sex often," said Solin. "We have had these discussions since he was very small."

One core motivation that anti-game lawmakers seem to have is how they believe that kids who play violent video games may get somehow confused about reality. But Burkeland's mother says that is not the case. "We often discuss the difference between video game violence and real life violence and he has always understood the difference," she said.

She also pays active attention to what he plays – even though he's technically an adult.

"I do watch Steve play games," she said. "When he gets a new game, he always shows it to me and when he gets good at a game or gets to a pivotal spot he usually has me watch again."

Not only does Burkeland play games, understand games and keep his parents involved, he also makes games. For Burkeland, it goes beyond the experience of playing.

He said, "I love to create whole worlds and characters. Crafting their hopes, ambitions, and dreams into a story and then letting the characters play through and begin to connect with the character.

"My love of role-play lead me to create and run a role playing forum. There I can do what ever I want to I can have a character based off of me but with the ability to run. That version of me that could run was the actual basis of my first and primary role-playing character. I still use a version of him that has evolved as the site has evolved."

Burkeland said that he wants to continue making video games and he hopes to make a living out of it in the future, though, "I decided if I could make games and give even just one person the enjoyment that games have done me then my life would be worthwhile."

His parents support him in those efforts. As involved as they are in his gaming, they are even more encouraging in his efforts to create them.

"Yes, we encourage Steve to create his own games," said Solin. "His game plot lines are really good and he understands the work that goes into programming and seems to enjoy it. His Web site has taught him leadership skills and he has met people online from all over the world that he considers good friends."

If there was one thing that Burkeland could say to activists and politicians that are working to change the way games are bought and sold, it would be simply that people need to take responsibility for themselves. No more finger pointing.

"Please, if you care so much about your children," he said, "take a minute when you're with them buying games and read the rating box and why it's rated that way."

By William Vitka