An eastern Kentucky high school is looking to the interactive world of video games to keep teens off drugs and out of trouble.
WYMT's Julie Maloney spoke with students at a Perry County Central High School about how the game is changing the way they deal with peer pressure.
It's called Generation X, an educational video game which allows teens to see real world experiences through a character on a computer screen.
It's not just a game, it's a valuable tool helping youth deal with peer pressure.
Peer pressure is a stress that weighs on teens minds everyday.
"I'd admit there'd be some pressure on me to fit in," Cassandra Combs said.
Now there's a game helping teens make the right choice.
Generation X is a new video game. It's a very different game in which you, the player, is given a real-life scenario where you're pressured to make tough decisions...like whether or not to take drugs.
"Take the pills and ruin your life or not take the pills and get away from the people you're around," Combs said.
Teachers at this school say old methods of teaching and preaching against drug use and pre-marital sex aren't working.
"They just felt it was a time to go to sleep in class," David Mathews said.
They say technology and an interactive style of teaching is key.
These teens say although it's educational and it's what they also hear from their parents all too often...it's working.
On Tuesday night students and the community got the chance to see this new video game and it will be used in classrooms right here in eastern Kentucky and even in schools across the nation.