Teen Kind to Everyone, Video Games Blamed

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A teenage boy's continued good behaviour at school and home has been linked to his love of video games. Michael Kesic, 15, this week admitted to his parents and teachers that the source of his desire to behave well and be kind to his peers stems from his favourite hobby of playing Xbox games on a nightly basis.

Teachers of the A+ student from his Glen Iris high school have expressed some shock at this admission but were relieved that his gregarious nature was not the result of drug abuse.

"Well, I always knew there was something wrong with Michael, being nice and calm all the time", English teacher Gwen McLaughlin said. "But, I always thought his being affable was something to do with good parenting. Hearing that video games are to blame, I just don't know what to think"

Kesic's favourite video games include the violent sci-fi fantasies Halo and Halo 2, along with the sniper role-playing thriller Splinter Cell. "Yeah, I play these violent games so much that it makes violent behaviour an abstraction to me" said the VCE student. "It seems completely untenable to actually treat people badly."

At a glance, Kesic's permanent record is a model of upstanding and outstanding performance. His behaviour even seemed to improve and his marks show an upward turn around the same time he started playing video games more regularly.

Michael's mother, Donna Kesic, 46, says she is extremely proud of her son and wishes more teens would follow his example. "All I can hope is that more parents will buy violent video games for their children so they can learn to associate violence with the world of television and not the world in which we live and breath"

Summing up his personality and outlook on life, Kesic said "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty much a nice guy. Just make sure you're not a Covenant alien while the Master Chief's in the bushes!"

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