Video/Computer Games

[Silver Adept]

I think what most of our parental types are worried about is that the kids who are at the most risk for beign unable to differentiate the mechanics of the game world from the mechanics of the real world are the ones that are being targeted most heavily by those making the games. While television offers an insulating layer, in theory, by not having the interactivity of the games, I know children's imaginations are powerful enough to bridge that gap without too much trouble at all. (We teach it to them, and call it make-believe) So even though the letter on the game says, "T" or "M", it's being targeted for those on the young side of "T". My little brother has Grad Theft Auto III, but he's not going to go out and try to cause the same sort of mayhem.

Our parents, however, need to take some of the responsibility. If the parents are watching the games under consideration, and being informed about them, it's much easier.

On my personal, slightly-off rant: The kids are buying shooters because there aren't any quality adventure games out anymore... Things like Space Quest and Sam and Max occupied a large part of my childhood, not Doom and Quake (although I logged quite a few hours on those in my later youth...). So if we could have good adventure-puzzle games, I think it would be easier to keep an eye on the kids.. since the parents and the kids were usually tackling the same game, and working together to try and figure out the puzzles (which in something like Sam and Max, even if you had a gun and bullets, the solution to the problem was never to shoot somebody.)

[Sperrit]

I think that the biggest danger of video games, or, really, the entire eletric world that we've built for ourselves over the years, isn't in actions copied in the real world from those fantasy sources, but rather the danger of falling into a lifestyle that revolves around them, a lifestyle devoted to video games and computers and a world that isn't real. So often have I seen people fall into this trap, becoming entangled in this digital realm of fantasy. We are given the chance to 'be' whatever we want to be and to interact with real people in the roles we've created for ourselves. In short, it's a way to live out our dreams without ever having to reach for them. With a push of a button, the click of a mouse, and a little forgetfulness we can become everything we've ever wanted to be. That is a dangerous and powerful idea, and I've seen it trap many good people. The bottom line is that people start to forget that it isn't real. We think that we have friends here, friends we can trust and confide in because they are real people as well, people who have also delved into this world. But are they any more real than the games that fill this place? Aren't we all just playing the characters we want to be? And even if we aren't, how much of a picture can we gain of someone when we can never seen their face, their movements and expression. How can we know someone when we've never seen how they react in a real life situation? And yet I've known my share of people who think that this world is as real as any other. Somehow, I can't buy it.
The danger of video games isn't that they cause violence. Rather the opposite. Video games are an outlet for lethargy, giving the illusion of movement and achievement when there really is none. They are a subtle drug, as potent as any other, but much harder to understand or fight once they have taken hold.

[Razer]

Well I'll tackle Shino's comment first because that one seems to hit closest to home for me (having lived that life and worked in the music industry).

Gangster rap is no more responsible for violence than Christian rap is responsible for soul saving. Artists like 50 Cent are merely relaying what has happened already in their personal lives (whether they lived it or saw it). Quite often the stories are embellished to make them more entertaining but it's not like they are tying kids up to chairs and forcing them to go out and kill. I've lived in extremely different cultures now and I am often having to explain to people here in New Mexico how things are in New York. New York is always "so violent and dangerous" but in New Mexico there are no gun licenses and you can buy a weapon and ammo in ten minutes in any pawn shop. There have been maybe 10 bodies found shot dead in ditches in my nearly two years here.

I've seen all the things 50 is talking about back when I was a kid, and 50 wasn't even thinking about rapping. I'm not running around selling drugs tho and neither are my kids. Which leads me to the bottom line...

All blame (as in 100%) falls to the parents & guardians of any affected children. Period. When you can say "a movie is ok, a game is ok, but music is bad" then why can you pick music out? Wouldn't a fan of one of the other genres vindicate his fave and select games as the culprit? Or movies? It's a fact that visual images (and smells) trigger our minds stronger than any other influences so movies and games far outweigh music where you can't understand half the lyrics and in 2 years you've forgotten them anyway.

I say the entretainment industry has a right to produce any form of art it wishes as long as it provides adequate information (like the ratings systems) about what it consists of. If a person wants to allow their children, eben if it's through ignorance of not caring what the kids partake of, then it's solely their fault. It's just that no one is going to say "I'm a bad parent" so it's easier to say "it's your fault". I was just reading the story about the US forces in the abuse case a few minutes ago and the parents of the woman soldier are all going "She must have been forced to do that". She's standing grinning and giving a thumbs up sign in pics...she's being ordered and forced? No way could this lead back to the parents tho. It must be that damn Army...or musci...or video games...or (insert random victim here).


<end of rant>

[Ming]