Some weekends for an hour or two, I sit couch-side as a spectator to virtual warfare, listening to yelling at the TV, strangers over the headset plotting their next move and hyper-realistic sounds and graphics.

The commotion seems stressful, but for many young people, gaming is actually a way to de-stress, connect with friends and escape real life.

But is it that innocent? It is for my fiancé, who emerges from the virtual battlefield feeling recharged and ready to go.

But recent high-profile tragedies, such as the death of Charlie Kirk, allegedly at the hands of a video game fanatic, have reignited the conversation around the impact of video game usage on individuals — and society.

Sixty-one percent of Americans ages 5 to 90 play video games, meaning roughly 190.6 million people play

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