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You hear it on the news, you read about it in magazines and papers, and it's the accepted word on the street - our society is becoming increasingly violent, and this is largely due to video games. People often point at the selection of wear related, or violence related video games and in one fell swoop, tarnish all video games as causing nothing but a decrease in the moral standard of our society, and with the same sweep, tarnish all young people who play these games as either actual or potential thugs, who will do little more than hang around on street corners mugging people, or causing other distressful crimes.

Although at first glance it would appear that statistics offered by these people appear to bear testimony to what they say, on closer examination it becomes very quickly apparent that the truth is much farther from this portrayal of it.

It is a fact that the accident and emergency wards of hospitals see a good number of young people who have been admitted as a result of violent crime. In fact, the actual number of such cases has fallen quite dramatically in recent years, although no such decrease has been seen in the number of video games being played, or in their popularity. It is also a fact that the vast majority of these young people who have been involved in violent crime are regular players of video games.

But this statistic is woefully misleading. Since ninety percent of young boys play video games, it is always going to be the case that any random selection of boys will result in the vast majority of them being regular players of video games. It would make as much sense to identify all the young boys who volunteer for charity work occasionally, or take part in fundraising, and then identify how many of them play video games regularly. Since ninety percent of all boys play video games regularly, then these fundraising charity volunteers are going to mostly be gamers - but this is not to suggest that playing video games make you more charitable, in just the same way that playing video games doesn't make you a violent thug.

Forty percent of girls play video games, which is to say nearly half, so again, if nearly half of all girls admitted into hospital after being involved in a violent crime are branded as being there because of video games, it makes as much sense to suggest that by not playing video games, half the girls have ended up in hospital.

These are the statistics that those who have a deep mistrust of video games like to publicise, but upon closer inspection, these claims are wildly unfounded, based on hopelessly meaningless figures and provided as only half the truth. In fact, there is no evidence to suggest that playing video games makes a person become violent. The home life and upbringing has far more influence on a person's social and moral attitudes that a computer game.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, video games, computer games, dolls.

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Before I get to the list, let me first say that I've played a lot of video games. From Super Nintendo and Game boy to Xbox 360 and PC, I've definitely been around the block a few times when it comes to entertaining my thumbs. However, I also HAVEN'T played a lot of video games. This may seem contradictory to my earlier statement, but let's face it, not every person has played every video game. Even big name game websites have trouble ranking games because the "rankers" may be biased towards a game they played versus a game someone else said is really good. Therefore, I should probably rename this article "Top Ten Video Games Ever Made (among those I have played)".

So, without further glitter, here is the list:

10. Kingdom Hearts, (2002 PS2)
Kingdom Hearts was an extremely unique game in that it combined traditional role playing elements (save the world, save the girl, spiky hair, level-up), with fantastic action battles and reminiscent Disney characters, plots, and storylines. The game was an absolute blast to play through several times, and paved the way for a (less successful) sequel. The battles were built right into the worlds (no need to switch to a different screen to enter a battler), and took strategy along with traditional hack and slash methods. Additionally, watching Donald Duck and Goofy demolish heartless after heartless will always reserve Kingdom Hearts a special place in my heart.

9. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, (1992 SNES)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is without a doubt the first game that I really truly became obsessed with. The massive spectrum of the game was quite remarkable for 1992, and the seamlessness in which the world of Zelda worked was unimaginable. The action was intense and at times, excruciatingly frustrating. The sound and color was outstanding. This is definitely one of the few games that got my heart pounding faster than the "beep beep" that meant my health was way too low.

8. Metal Gear Solid, (1998, PS1)
Metal Gear Solid combined excellent graphics, intense action, a unique storyline, and a complete bad ass that we just loved play as into one beautiful package. This was an action game through and through to the core, and yet during some of the cut scenes, we couldn't help but feel like we were watching a movie or deeply involved into a square rpg. Metal Gear Solid set the tone for 3 sequels, each arguably better than its predecessor.

7. Suikoden (1996, PS1)
I picked up Suikoden about 8 years ago in a bargain bin at my local Gamestop. I had never heard of the game, but it was cheap so I though I'd give it a try. Within the first hour I was hooked. The art style was interesting and unique, and the story was extremely interesting. One of the things that really cements Suikoden into my favorite games list is the aspect of controlling an army. In many rpg games, you can travel around with 3 characters, and switch between a few others. In Suikoden, you travel around with 6 characters, and have the option of switching between over 100 characters! You also have a castle as your "home base". This uniqueness really vaults Suikoden high above other rpgs.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, (1998 N64)
The Ocarina of Time took the things that made A Link to the Past so successful, like a massive flowing world and incredibly immersive storyline, and thrusted them into a 3D world. With brilliant visuals and sound, a real night and day clock, and exceptional game play, Ocarina of Time is one game that can't be missed.

5. Super Smash Brothers, (1999 N64)
Super Smash Brothers is without a doubt the greatest multiplayer game I have ever played. Never before in a fighting game could you pit Pikachu against Link, or Fox against Mario. This game flowed so nicely, and the characters were balanced extremely well. While it was lackluster at best as a one player game, the 4 player smash-fests delivered extreme fun and laughter.

4. Pokemon Red and Blue, (1998 Gameboy)
Pokemon was definitely the first game that I actually wished was completely non-fiction. The idea of catching and raising creatures to fight for you was unique and worked wonderfully. Even if Pokemon was a console game, it would have been extremely successful. The added bonus of being able to take it with you wherever you went was amazing. The story was exceptional, and the replay value was second to none.

3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, (2004 PS2)
With the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 in 2008, almost everyone had taken San Andreas off the GTA throne and replaced it with the new edition. However, I still believe that San Andreas is the best of the series. The storyline was enthralling, unexpected, and exceptional for a game based around the idea of doing the wrong thing. Morals and values came into play, and I became completely involved for 10 days and 35 hours of my life. When it was released, the scope of San Andreas was completely astounding, and unheard of. The soundtrack filled the game out nicely. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was an experience that shouldn't be passed up.

2. Starcraft (1998 PC)
Without a doubt, I put in at least 5 times as many hours into Starcraft as I have with any other game. While the single player missions were fun, Starcraft was absolutely about the multiplayer. Never before has a game made me want to beat someone so badly. The ridiculously amazing replay value, in terms of both quantity and quality, makes Starcraft a legend. This is a game so addicting that my time playing it used to be limited by my mother for the sake of my sanity. That's how great of a game it is.

And now, for the GREATEST GAME EVER MADE (according to me, some don't even believe it is the best in its long series)...

1. Final Fantasy VII (1997 PS1)
While it had some competition for the top spot in this list with Starcraft, Final Fantasy VII easily takes the thrown as the greatest game ever made. The graphics were absolutely stunning for its time. Every time I look back at the game I say to myself, "wow, the playstation was capable of this?" The music and sound were simply fascinating; some of the soundtrack I can listen too over and over again. The expansiveness of the game was incredible, with a giant world and probably 50 hours of main storyline. The side quests and mini games were fun and deep within themselves.

One of the main draws of the game, however, is it's incredible story. The storyline was incredible unique, and beyond just "saving the girl" and "saving the world". It didn't just match cinema like storytelling, but it easily surpassed it.

These qualities make Final Fantasy VII the GREATEST GAME EVER MADE!

Some other games worth mentioning, that didn't quite crack the top ten:

Gears of War (2006 X360)- An interesting story and incredible shooting action.
Metal Warriors (1995 SNES)- Superb multiplayer action in a quirky, 2d package.
Perfect Dark (2000 N64)- Cool single player, and beautifully unique multiplayer.
Final Fantasy X (2001 PS2)- Amazing graphically, with a immense story to boot.
Gran Turismo 3 (2001 PS2)- Superior realism with slick looking cars and upgrades.
Super Mario World (1991 SNES)- A classic, it defined platforming, and was a lot of fun.

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