Nintendo Okie

Does anyone out there truly believe video games make people violent? I realize a lot of people claim video games cause violence but I often wonder if they believe what they are saying. No matter their true thoughts, every time there is some sort of tragedy you can rest assured a so called “expert” will be on TV claiming video games are corrupting our youth. Typically they refer to their book which explains how you can stop your child from becoming a delinquent.

Scapegoat. I’m not talking about that Yu-Gi-Oh! card that was banned years ago, I’m talking about blaming something to distract from the real problem. This is what happens to video games when people lay blame for violent or irresponsible acts. Typically their only means of proof is “they played Counter-Strike.” Some have called FPS games “murder simulators.” First of all, if you are going to call something a murder simulator I would point to a series like Manhunt or Hitman. You know, games where you actually murder people. Second, why is a game about war suck a horrible thing? Granted war is one of the worst things ever but how is playing a game where you shoot terrorists worse than reading how Hitler almost took over the world? How can Call Of Duty be a travesty while Saving Private Ryan is a masterpiece? Seems like a double standard if you ask me.

I imagine some will claim the different between a game and a movie is how the player actually pulls the trigger instead of watching it happen on screen. Granted; video games are by nature an interactive experience. So does that mean the actors in Saving Private Ryan are more violent people since they pretended to shoot people on the movie set? If shooting a fake person in a TV screen is a simulation, then holding a fake gun, dressed like a WWII solider with real tanks driving around you is even closer to the real thing. Somebody better lock Tom Hanks away before he goes on a killing spree!

Just because I play games where I shoot people doesn’t mean I want to try it in real life. If I was wearing overalls and a red hat I wouldn’t want to jump on any mushroom I found. Actually, I probably would. Maybe that’s a bad example. Oh wait, stepping on mushrooms isn’t the same as killing another person. Silly me, I understand the difference between right and wrong because my parents taught me so; the same parents that allowed me to play video games as a child. Not only that, but they bought me every game and system I owned for the first 13 years of my life. I have played violent games my whole life so why haven’t I turned into a serial killer? I must be a statistical outlier. Seeing Sub-Zero rip spines out must not have affected me the same as everyone else. Phew. Oh wait, it did affect me the same as everyone else because it didn’t affect me at all.

Granted, video games can be violent. However, works of fiction are typically a reflection of the society they were created in. Sad to say, folks, but the world can be a horrible place sometimes; it’s called human nature. Instead of raising children in destructive and corrupted environments, we should strive to teach them how the world can be beautiful instead horrific. Teach kids the difference between right and wrong. If someone claims a video game drove a child to commit a horrible act, they are either fooling themselves or are blissfully ignorant. Violent games don’t cause violence. Violent people that don’t know the difference between right and wrong (or don’t care) cause violence. Video games aren’t going to affect those intentions at all.

I say it all the time; games are no different than any other type of entertainment media. Movies, books and music can all be violent. All are forms of expression which allow the creators to tell a story. After watching Saving Private Ryan I didn’t feel like picking up a gun and shooting people. Instead, I felt humbled for the men and women that fought in such a horrible war just because some moron wanted to take over the world.