Violent Video Games, You Say?

      Over the past few years I've been known to say, "I love blood and violence!". On occasion that stems from a desire to quote Sarge from Red vs Blue. Most of the time, however, it's a legitimate expression of my own thoughts. "Goongala! You blood-thirsty warmonger!" CHILL OUT! I have my reasons for this; namely: realism. As I've said previously, I find blood and gore adds a certain amount of realism to a game, movie, or anime. There is a limit to that though, and anime exceeds it often. But, if you're going to have violence in your game, movie, or anime, at least have blood to go along with it. It does make a difference in realism. I'm not in it only for the bloody violence. This is all besides the point however, and I digress from the original point of this post. I warn you now, it's going to be a long one (quite possibly the longest piece I've ever written). Also, keep in mind that most of this was written a few months ago, so certain info and/or data may be a bit dated...

Let's talk about games, shall we?

     A few months ago, a man in Norway (Anders Behring Breivik) went on a rampage, killing over seventy people. A lot of fingers were pointed, one of which pointed at Modern Warfare 2. Breivik had written a "manifesto", within which he cited MW2 as part of his training-simulation. This poses a question, one that's been asked over and over for the better part of a decade. The question: Does violence in video games breed real life violence? The answer would be, unequivocally, no. "How can you be so sure, Goongala?" Well, allow me to explain my thoughts... 

     First off, it depends on the gamer. How stable are they mentally? Were they raised in such a way that they learned right from wrong? Fact from fiction? What value did their parents put on life? As much as the gamer is responsible for their actions, the parents are equally as responsible. A child raised the right way will know the difference between right and wrong, but more importantly their parents should have taught them how to separate fact and fiction. In my case, I didn't get too many opportunities to separate the two (my parents were very restrictive of what we were allowed to play, watch, and read), but in the end I was able to make rational decisions and figure out what was real and what was not; even without the opportunities. I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but I'm not stupid. Separation of reality and fantasy shouldn't be that difficult, and yet we find more often than not that common sense comes second to innate stupidity.

Looks legit...

     Mental stability is a factor. Is it even possible for them to separate fact and fiction? If they are sane, are they being bullied? Tormented by a dysfunctional relationship either at home or at work? In many cases, the suspect had issues completely unrelated to gaming that were more likely to cause them to go bonkers. In the Columbine shooting, the game Doom was blamed. What about the bullying that Harris and Klebold were faced with? What about the violent movies they watched? Many reports after the shootings claimed that both suffered from mental instability; Harris was clinically psychopathic and Kelbold was suffering from depression. As I said above, the video games may have attributed to the downward spiral, but they weren't what caused the plunge into madness to begin with.

     Take a minute (or second, that's up to you) and look at the numbers. There are millions of gamers all over the world playing violent games. Out of these millions, only a mere handful have snapped and done something stupid. Take Modern Warfare 2 for example, a game that has seen a lot of attention lately (and even being pulled from some Norwegian store shelves). For the Xbox 360 alone, MW2 has sold over 7 million units. Out of 7 million people, there is only one person (Breivik) that has gone on a shooting rampage (that I know of that has been positively linked to MW2). One of 7 million. If violent video games were the main cause of violence perpetrated by gamers, wouldn't you think there would be more violent acts in day to day life? Like, a lot more? Common sense would dictate that if this were the case, gamers all over the world would be turning into murdering psychopaths, or at least becoming exceedingly violent, on a regular basis. Let me be the first to say that not all of us are like that. True, there are a few crimes that can be linked directly to a video game. However, you still have to take the mental stability of the perpetrator into consideration (as I've said above).

The Grand Theft Auto series is one of those series linked to several murders and shooting sprees, and I believe it. They are absolutely horrible (morally) games.

     Violent video games have often been called "mass murder simulators". This is simply not the case. I've played hours upon hours of Call of Duty, Halo, and Left 4 Dead; all of which are "First-Person Shooters". In game, I can snipe people from all the way across the map, killing them without them ever knowing where I was. In real life, I can't hit a reasonably large target at twenty feet. I've tried. Shooting a rifle in game and shooting a rifle in real life are two radically different experiences. I know how to aim down the sights and I know that the gun has recoil, but no amount of playing video games can prepare your for the real thing. It would be comparable to someone saying they watched baseball on television and became an All-Star, Major League player because of it. I'm also no closer to being a mass murderer than I was before; which is to say NOT CLOSE AT ALL. I may have been desensitized to violence in movies and video games, but not to the real thing. I know the consequences of real life violence, and I know the difference between right and wrong. "Thou shalt not murder"... I believe that was a Commandment... Christian morals aside, murder is generally frowned upon and is considered bad by all but the worst kind of people. I believe that the majority of gamers feel exactly the same way.

     Think about how it sounds. "Violent video games cause people to murder each other". Video games don't cause killings any more than guns do. "Guns kill people, Goongala!" No, people kill people. Guns are merely a means of doing so. A friend of mine once said, "You can kill a person with a car or a baseball bat, but you don't see anyone stopping you from driving to the baseball game." I would go further as to say that you can even kill people with your bare hands. Should the government start chopping off our limbs? No, that's absurd; as is the statement that video games cause violence. "But, what about lesser levels of violence?" Violence stems from aggression; that's a fairly obvious fact. A recent study found that competition in video games, not the violence, is more likely to cause real life violence. Violent video games may cause some anger and frustration, but not nearly as much as a competitive game. I notice this when I'm playing multiplayer games; I get more upset when I get beaten by another human being than when I'm owned by the A.I. I'm sure that, like me, many gamers could, and do, make this connection.

If I lose one more mini-game, I will kill all of you...

     Now to shift the blame a bit. Are parents even paying attention to what their children are playing? Do they even care? Although slightly off topic, this goes right along with the earlier paragraphs: the parents are equally as responsible for their child's behavior. Despite what many may think, they are responsible for the games they let their child play. FLASHBACK: September 14, 2010; Halo: Reach release, standing outside Gamestop waiting for midnight. While waiting in line, I realized that everyone at the front of the line couldn't have been older than 14, and had their mother in tow. While I do consider Halo "good violence", I still can't help but wonder if these mothers knew what the game was about or what it was rated "M" for. Of course, anyone who plays on Xbox Live knows that it gets worse. Many times I've either seen videos (or heard for myself) numerous 12 year-olds (that's what they sounded like) cussing and swearing because they were beaten in Call of Duty or other such online games. Parents, this is unacceptable. I get yelled at enough by people my own age; I don't need your child running off at the mouth at me too. As a parent, it should be your duty to research the games you let your children play, and keep them from playing these violent games you wish so badly to be taken off the store shelves.

     I won't say that video games don't have any impact on violent tendencies. They do have an impact, and such has been proven especially true in younger children. According to biological studies (and common sense), the human mind is constantly growing when we are young. A child's mind is easily molded, which is why we are forced to start school at such a young age. If children play violent games there is a possibility that they could be desensitized to it in real life. However, I bring up the parent's duties again. Have you taught your child the difference between right and wrong? Do they know how to separate fact and fiction? Are they able to comprehend the consequences of violence? If they know and understand these things, then playing violent games shouldn't have any adverse affects on their minds. If they can't, then it's imperative that they not be allowed to play these games. Then again, many parents these days are apathetic and think their child should learn these things at school. Many let their children play whatever games they want, as long as they're happy. These parents are later horrified that their little angel could come home suspended from school because they pounded some kid into the dirt without a second thought as to what the consequences would be. But, I digress. This isn't a post about parenting (although, you parents should take note); it's a post about violence in video games...

     What about bullying in school? From personal experience I know the anger that can surface from being teased and bullied at school. For the majority of my years in middle school I was tormented by bullies. Then I see something like this ("Guile's Theme" added, because it goes with everything):



     The bully becomes the victim, and he deserved every bit of it. Even his mother said he deserved what he got (the body slam, not the internet infamy). Doesn't bullying seem like a more prominent motive for violence? I would think so. As I've said above, video games may show you violence, but it doesn't cause it.

     Violence is all around us; and was here before video games were ever even thought of. Were there video games in ancient times? The Middle Ages? What about the Renaissance? No, of course not. Yet those were some of the most violent periods in history. Where did they learn how to kill? They learned from everyone else; and that's exactly the way it is today. Video games are one part of a very large entity known as the "entertainment industry". Within that industry we have movies, television, music, and almost anything else you can think of that people enjoy. How much violence do we see every day from these things? You watch football on television: violence. You go out and see the newest Harry Potter movie: violence. What about wrestling, UFC, and boxing? Is there a more pointless form of violence in our world? Why do we allow this kind of physical violence, yet condemn something that isn't real?

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember the Scottish or English learning violence from video games...

     Throughout this article, I've asked a lot of rhetorical questions:

- Does the gamer know right from wrong? Have they been taught the value of a life? Those who do not value life will think nothing of taking one.

- Is the gamer mentally stable? Are there outside influences that are causing mental instability? Bullying? Domestic problems? "Some individuals are predisposed to violence; this could be due to genetics, environment, past traumas, or other reasons," says "Corrin" in a comment about a blog post. I'm inclined to agree with him.

- Are you, as a parent, paying attention to what you're letting your child play? Do you check the ratings for the games you buy for them? Before they turn seventeen they can't buy "M" rated games, which means you would have to buy it for them. Be concerned, and be informed. 

     In my opinion, the biggest question I posed was: Do they know how to separate fantasy from reality? This is key. Do gamers know how to separate the two? I belive the vast, overwhelming majority do. I know I do; I know my friends do. I don't think I've ever met a gamer that doesn't. Even though I say this is something to be taught to children, I have a feeling that a lot of kids know how to do this by instinct. I suppose the point of this post is to say:

Violence in video games does not lead to violence in real life. 

     There are multiple factors that contribute to violence in society, therefore we can't specifically blame violent video games.

      Addendum: If you finished this, I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I know it's a lot of text, and not many pictures like I usually do. I've spent several years compiling knowledge on the subject (most of it molding my own opinion), and I worked hard to try and explain everything the best I could. I tried to cover all the bases; give answers for all the questions. If you want, you can leave a comment below to let me know what you think, or if you think of another question that needs answering. I'm always open to more questions. Thanks.

(Thanks to Google and Youtube for the pics and videos, as always.)