Content Table:
Video Game Violence
According to Patrick Masell, recently the media has bombarded Americans with images and stories concerning a popular and morally corrupt video game called ‘Grand Theft Auto’. GTA 3 and its sequel GTA: Vice City have sparked record sales as well as protests and news reports across the globe. Most of these reports and protests question the game’s graphic content and the effects it may have on its audience, especially teenagers.
The Controversy Surrounding Video Game Violence
However, GTA was not the first series of video games to create such a stir in this country. ‘Mortal Kombat’, a fighting game known for its amount of blood and gore deaths, hit arcades in 1992 and home consoles the next year. The question of how graphic violence in video games influences this nation’s youth has been debated for over a decade. Violent video games have few, if any, adverse effects on the vast majority of their audience, and those who are negatively influenced often are unstable to begin with.
The Role of Active Participation
Two features of video games fuel renewed interest by researchers, public policy makers, and the general public. First, the active role required by video games is a double-edged sword. It helps educational video games be excellent teaching tools for motivational and learning processes. But, it also may make violent video games even more hazardous than violent television or cinema.
Second, the arrival of a new generation of ultraviolent video games beginning in the early 1990s and continuing unabated to the present resulted in large numbers of children and youths actively participating in entertainment violence that went way beyond anything available to them on television or in movies. Recent video games reward players for killing innocent bystanders, police, and prostitutes, using a wide range of weapons including guns, knives, flame throwers, swords, baseball bats, cars, hands, and feet. Some include cut scenes (i.e., brief movie clips supposedly designed to move the story forward) of strippers. In some, the player assumes the role of hero, whereas in others, the player is a criminal.
Addressing the Root Causes
All of these factors contribute to promoting violent behavior among children, but censoring or banning video games will not solve or even help a problem that is much more deeply rooted. Parents should play a major role in coping with this matter. Parental neglect is possibly the largest factor in juvenile delinquency.
Ironically, the same parents who favor censorship of video games probably don’t even realize that the games their children are playing are meant for adults to begin with. There is something labeled on every game box called an ESRB rating. Acting like a rating system for movies, it determines the age group that a particular game is appropriate for. The GTA series is rated M for mature, suitable for people seventeen or over.
The Role of Parents in Gaming Choices
Yet that doesn’t stop parents from buying it for their underage kids. In fact, there are many instances where a teenager will be refused from buying a certain game. Their parents are brought in to confront the store manager, who explains the rating system, but the parent buys the game nonetheless. So basically both parents and game creators should be blamed, as they did not think twice before taking action.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the debate over video game violence continues, highlighting the need for responsible gaming practices and parental involvement. As the gaming industry evolves, so too must our understanding of its impact on society, particularly on younger audiences. Through education and awareness, we can foster a healthier gaming environment.