Violence and Video Games

Recent events have lead certain groups of ignorant adults and politicians to drag the issue of violence in video games into the spotlight… again. We see it time and time again when violence and children are in the same headline. Like most Americans, the American media are lazy and like to take the easy path to blaming video games in the wake of tragic events. Unfortunately and inconveniently, the root cause of the violent acts that seem to frequent our TVs and other media are much more complicated than we would like.

My generation was and has been exposed to violent video games especially in our most developmental years. We have seen it all. I remember the first video game controversy when Mortal Kombat hit the store shelves. It helped spawn the ESRB which was created to keep retailers from selling violent video games to young people. From my personal experience It’s hard to say if the ESRB has been succesful because I can count the number of parents that actually know what the ESRB even is on one hand. Like most Americans, parents of American children are lazy. Seeing a trend yet?

Another thing that my generation grew up with was the internet. The internet unleashed a whole new kind of threat to kids. The savvy kids in those days (I like to think I was one of them) quickly realized we could get access to just about anything we wanted. So, guess what we did. That’s right we looked at anything and everything. Eventually we went looking for real violence. I saw footage of people dying. I saw gruesome acts of dismemberment, suicides, and other violent acts.

There is a huge difference between seeing real violence and seeing it in a video game. I have seen both and you don’t forget the real violence. It sticks with you forever. I will always remember the shock I felt and the overwhelming weight of mortality that washed over me in the wake of the experience. The shear gravity is unshakable. I imagine that if you are a disturbed individual you don’t feel those feelings. If you are emotionally detached you probably don’t see a difference between real violence and video game violence. The truth of the matter is that these people have existed before video games ever came along and they are obviously still around. That is the real problem. We should be asking ourselves how to recognize these kinds of people and get them the help that they need.

I know how easy it is to blame video games. I also understand parents who feel helpless in a violent world. You can’t help but be fearful for your children when you know what horrors await them in the real world. All you can really do is prepare them. Don’t hide them and keep them from the inevitable. The shock they experience can only get worse the longer you hold them back. Teach them right and wrong. Keep them grounded firmly in reality so that they know the difference between real violence and animated violence. Let’s be smart about these next steps, America.

Remember guns don’t kill children, psychopaths kill children.

Please take a look at the video attached to this article. It is a set of 3 and the other two can be found here: Video Game Violence: part 2, Video Game Violence: part 3

Author: Jonathan P. Niess (Jonnydem)

4 comments on “Violence and Video Games”

1. Joshua Jenkins on January 11, 2013 at 3:18 pm said:

   Yeah, they are pretty much using it as a scapegoat to get the attention off Gun Control

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2. admin on January 11, 2013 at 5:12 pm said:

   My knee jerk reaction was to disagree with you Josh, but you are right, but politicians will be politicians. They do that stuff. I don’t think super strict gun control laws are the answer either though. Like I said in the article, it is a psychological and parenting problem at it’s roots. We need to become a more informed society to take the correct action. Taking away rights and freedoms is not the way to solve this.

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   • Joshua Jenkins on January 11, 2013 at 10:39 pm said:

     I never said I agreed with the gun control arguments either I just mentioned it because while I was waiting for my girlfriend at the Dentist, I was watching CNN. Every time they mentioned violence in video games, which was 3 times, it followed a sentenced very much like “The problem isn’t gun control, the problem is ____.” All 3 times

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     • admin on January 12, 2013 at 3:54 am said:

       I didn’t mean to imply that strict gun control was what you supported.

       Yeah, I can’t watch most news programs. It all frustrates me. You can’t escape bias media.

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