Video games are mostly poison.... why do you ask? Most video games deal with death and combat... of course, not all of them do. But long story short they are a way of acting out internal rage and aggression in an unhealthy way. Kids everywhere are being programmed to be rage-filled and angry. Only an angry person would want to kill but in a video, game one does such things routinely.
Violence is violence. Is this to say that all movies are bad as well? Well not if the violence is in the context of some form of greater life lesson. Then it can be a learning tool. But most of the video games are not geared that way. I would say that the racing and sports games are not all that toxic, but the whole killing spree thing is no Bueno. Then we wonder why children become so angry when their parents try to take away their games.
Seems natural that the anger would come out at that point in some small way. I have read that they are more addicting than heroin. As someone who has been addicted, I guess I can’t disagree that it’s a malady or an escapist trait. Reality is tough and the sooner people start living in the real world and facing it consistently the sooner humanity will evolve.