It would seem that, in the wake of the recent shootings in the United States, the old cries of 'violence in video games' has returned. Yes, that old song and dance. I can acknowledge that some video games are indeed violent. Madworld and the Manhunt series being two prime candidates. But, and this is the point these politicians miss, there are just as many(if not more) non-violent alternatives. I have yet to hear of a young man breaking into a nursery, only to yell 'ITSA ME!', eat a mushroom then jump on the pet turtle. I'm going to explain why, while the market does contain violent games, it has no more than other forms of media such as movies. And even in the niche of violent media, only a tiny fraction of those consumers would ever even consider doing something violent.
The first issue in this whole debacle is that of emulation. It's actually possibly the strongest argument against video games, but it is still kind of weak. When you sit down and watch a film, you know it's fiction, don't you? But, the opposition argue, because you are playing a video game you are immersed, you are the one pulling that trigger. It makes the brain more susceptible to the idea of killing. Or at least, that's their hope. In reality, it does none of that. The human psyche, if healthy, will not look at a polygon figure and think 'this virtual figure has a virtual family somewhere in the vast realms of cyberspace. Maybe deleting those lines of code will cause them grief.'. No, instead you will see them as an obstacle, an objective and nothing more. Because that is exactly what they are. The healthy gamer can separate the two, recognizing one as fiction and the other as reality. Each universe has its own set of social rules and, by in large, we obey them. The minority within that group may commit violent acts, but the violence was already within them. The game did not create it, it did not trigger or amplify it. It was just one outlet of that rage. They could have just as easily watched a film and lost themselves to that anger.
On the subject of films, they are just as absorbing as games. You sit in a theater for two hours and surrender yourself to it, whisked along on a journey that has been laid out for you. At the screening of Inglorious Basterds a few years back, I came out with a smile on my face. Not because the thought of scalping people was playing in my head, but because I lost myself in the movie. Any form of entertainment exists as a means to escape reality. It can be as bloody as you like because, at the end of the day, you go back to your life. You only played that game or saw that movie to have a few hours of zen-like peace. To me at least, that is the sign of a healthy mind. You knew you needed to rest that noggin of yours, and you did. Now you can go back to being a functioning member of society. But yet again, there will be people who will link the violence on the silver screen to their lives. The Dark Knight Shooting, for example. That was hugely controversial but then died out after several months. That movie also grossed a ridiculous amount of money, you may have noticed. You can't shut down movies, they have been around far too long and bring in far too much revenue. But video games? They're still rather young in those terms, and so those 'higher-ups' hope to control it and make everything kosher.
You will also have noticed that movies are becoming more grim and violent. Because, yes, violence is part of life. Film-makers want to truly immerse us, and we will pay for that pleasure a thousand times over. There are several genres of violent films such as horror and action. Yes, even action. Explosions, guns....Violence right there, folks. Video games have an overwhelming number of non-violent alternatives, and yet politicians will insist on focusing on that select group of games: CoD, Battlefield, Medal of Honor ...It is simply easier for them to blind themselves to the fact that it is not black and white, the gaming industry is thousands of different tints of grey.
This argument boils down to one simple fact: Humanity is a huge, varied breed. We have more languages, cultures, beliefs and tastes than I can name. You can't strategically build anything that won't offend anybody. For every person who likes something, there will be someone who hates it. This is amplified in the gaming community. There are so many non-violent games, and even those who play a first person shooter don't necessarily want to shoot up a school. If you try to control or censor those types of game, then that tiny fraction of the population with 'violent tendencies' will find another way to let that fury out. And it may not be as harmless as playing a video game.
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