| Video Game Violence |
| > C:\WINDOWS\vivilives\essays\videogameviolence.html |
| "I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things." This was written by Eric Harris just months before he and Dylan Klebold killed 13 fellow students at Columbine High School. One year earlier, he had written, "It's my fault! Not my parents, not my brothers, not my friends, not my favorite bands, not computer games, not the media, it's mine." These prophetic statements didn�t stop people from accusing innocent parties. Though it was painfully apparent that constant bullying and a sense of detachment from others were the reasons for Harris and Klebold�s actions, the public passed senseless judgment on the video game industry. Without any hard evidence, though, the connection between Columbine and violent video games is merely speculation. One of the main targets became "Doom," a first-person shooting game that Harris and Klebold enjoyed playing. It simulated frenetic gun-play and the killing of humans and alien creatures. A false connection was made between "Doom" and Columbine as people automatically assumed that playing violent video games leads to violent behavior. Politicians, of course, saw an opening and ran with it. Shamelessly tapping into the public�s newfound fear of children being exposed to violent media, uninformed outsiders like Sen. Joe Lieberman once again homed in on video games. Rather than debating the pros and cons of more realistic, graphic video games, they focused solely on the cons. This one-sided argument left the public with a distorted image of video games. For years, hardcore gamers have insisted that they�re able to distinguish between games on their 17" television screens and the real world. Sadly, most are too rabidly fanatical to be taken seriously. Nearly any valid point is overshadowed by their obsessive behavior. This leaves people thinking that gamers are either too young to be playing such violent games or too immature. The fact is, the average gamer is 28 years old. If kids were the ones only playing violent games, there would be no violent video games. These older (and, consequently, average) gamers seek out violent games because they�re looking for that game�s affect. Pacifistic, non-aggressive gamers don�t buy violent games. Naturally aggressive people buy violent, aggressive games. What you play reflects your personality; it doesn�t change it. Children are fascinated by and attracted to violent video games because they have a natural fascination with real-world violence. The parents must step in and monitor their child if they don�t want graphic violence displayed around them. At video game tournaments across the world, gamers under 18 are playing Mature-rated games that they can�t legally buy. Are these gatherings filled with violent little kids and aggressive behavior? If they were, nobody would attend. Video games, contrary to popular belief, can�t "reinforce" aggressive behavior since players do not actually engage in any aggressive behavior. Rather, these tournaments promote teamwork and communication between youths who share a common bond. Scientists have tried for years to discover an indisputable link between video game violence and aggressive behavior in players. So far, they have been unsuccessful. It�s been proven impossible to conduct a lab experiment successfully due to environmental differences. At home, gamers are in a familiar, safe environment with everything set to their preference. In a lab, nothing is comfortable or familiar. As long as games like "Grand Theft Auto III" and "Doom" continue to be popular, people will come to their own conclusion as to it�s effects on children. Right-minded citizens should easily see the reason for the Columbine tragedy. It has nothing to do with what games Harris and Klebold played; they were seeking revenge against those who had "wronged" them, and nothing could change that. |