The controversy surrounding violence in video games rears its ugly head every so often. It seems that a kid in Oregon recently got busted outlining plans to firebomb and shoot up his school, all to the soundtrack of the controversial "No Russian" mission from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. In this article we will take everything we can into account to find out why things like this happen?
I hate to open with such a cliche statement, but this is America. We have the freedom here to express ourselves in many ways. Creating a video game that depicts acts of violence is not depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property. Sure, one could argue that it gives kids the idea to go and kill other people, but one would be missing out on a really big point. These games are not made for children. Clearly marked M for Mature on the box, these games are intended for ages 17 and older.
We can hardly start to blame the developers for the content they include in video games. Sure, it was a pretty gutsy move by Infinity Ward to include the "No Russian" mission in MW2, but there was an option right at the beginning of the game to skip that mission if you felt it was inappropriate. Are some developers pushing the boundaries just to offer the biggest shock value though? It is possible, and in doing so it makes their games popular, especially amongst kids.
Any parent that lets their young kids play M rated games needs to make sure they are doing a few things before letting them play the games. Look for the ESRB rating on the game. Every game has one and they are located on the front and back of games. The back has more information by the rating, telling the consumer why the game has the rating. I have a copy of Fable 2 sitting right here and it is rated M for Blood, Language, Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol, and Violence. It is quite literally spelled out on the box. Secondly, ask around, the people at your local game retailer can offer lots of information. You'll find that most of the people that work at those stores have experience with a lot of the games (especially the most popular ones). Do some internet research. Find some gaming websites and read their reviews. These reviews will often times go very in depth and you can learn a lot about a game by reading an article. Watch the trailer for the game. You can learn much about it just by seeing it in action. Supervise your child when they play the games. That way if you seen something inappropriate, you can make a decision as to what to do.
My advice would be that after you find out what is in certain games, share that information with other parents. When you present a unified front to your children it can be to their benefit.
It seems that the need for taking violence out of video games sings more to the convenience of the parent than anything else. If they know there is no violence in the games, they won't have to do any research, or be involved in decision making about whether or not to let the child play the game. This is not the answer. Invest some time and effort into your child, they are worth it. No one wants to be the parent that gets the call "your son/daughter was just involved in a school shooting", let alone come to find out that their child was the one pulling the trigger.
Having worked at a game retailer myself, I have seen parents just buy their young children any game they want. I remember when GTA San Andreas came out. A 9 year old child was at the store with his grandmother to pick up the game. The sales clerk asked her "are you sure you want him to play this?", offering no other insight to the game's content. The grandmother asked the child "is this the one you want?". "Yes Grandma" was his reply. Sale complete. That kid was on his way home to play a game that lets you slaughter innocent people whenever you want, have sex with prostitutes, kill police, etc. At the young age of 9.
We have to snap out of the mindset that video games are "toys", because they are not. In this day and age the content is more mature and aimed at the 18 - 40 market. With story lines ranging from organized crime (GTA, Saints Row), to science fiction sagas in which forging sexual relationships with the cast is part of the game (Mass Effect), to games that offer nudity as part of the experience (Dante's Inferno, The Saboteur, God of War). Parents must face the fact that these games were made with the intent on selling to a mature audience.
Part of the problem is that the term "game" is often associated with things like "Operation", "Twister", "Clue", and other board games, and the term "video game" is associated the likes of "Super Mario Bros", "PacMan", "Donkey Kong", and other such titles. Modern video games are so much more than that, they are often times "realistic interactive experiences".
With that in mind I think it is time for parents to stop trying to blame the industry and start stepping in to be involved in their children's lives. Don't let a video game be your child's primary source of influence when it should be you that is teaching them the ways of the world.
Let us know your feelings in the comment section below. Stay tuned to Big Ups Gaming for articles like this one. Thanks for reading!
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