This particular matter is something that has always annoyed me and its time to throw my thoughts into the ring. Violent games do not make violent people.
Games have been one of many scapegoats that people and organisations have used to avoid speaking about the real issues. The frequent offenders include the national rifle association as well as ill informed parents and political powers in various areas of the world. They believe that games have brainwashed kids and teenagers into thugs and murders and the industry is to blame.
Well, I am a long time gamer. My body count of people and creatures I have shot, stabbed, blown up and set fire to in every game I have ever played will go into possibly hundreds of thousands. Yet I have never thrown a punch in anger. I have never had friend try to recreate any form of violent act they saw in a game. You know why? Because anyone with a healthy mental state can work out the difference between the virtual world they play in and the real world they live in. They have a instilled sense of right and wrong that they were raised to know and stand by.
The same cannot be said for those who come into the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Every shooting I hear especially the attacks on schools in recent times horrify me. They hit me right in the heart knowing that people are capable of such evil deeds, but what angers me is the aftermath when some (not all) people avoid the real issues at hand. They blame games, music, TV and film for the crime... Not the mental state of the man or woman who pulls the trigger nor the easy access to various weapons they use.
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| Really??? |
I will happily bet £10 that for every incident that the media point a finger at games, the criminal will have some form of mental issue or poor upbringing. In some cases the criminal will use it as a defense. "It's not my fault your honour. Grand Theft Auto made me shoot those two policemen!"
Banning games for violence is a stupid way to make people feel they will make the world a better place. Well you won't!
Simple.
The industry rates their games appropriately so kids shouldn't be getting a hold of them.
Even when the perpetrator is an adult they should be aloud to get a hold of an assault rifle in the 1st place!
To quote linkin park, "In the end it doesn't really matter." Victims, their family's, politicians and all the shocked onlookers will always look for something or someone to blame. I can understand that. If I had a loved one who was involved in a tragic incident such as this I would want answers. However, the thing to bare in mind is that no movie director, no music artist, no games producer pulled the trigger or sold the gun. The answer problem isn't sitting on shop shelves. It's in the mind of the individual(s) who have no moral compass or sense of right or wrong...
Regardless of what I say people will always have their opinions. I just hope that the entertainment industry doesn't suffer because of a despicable crime and a mobs anger.
The industry rates their games appropriately so kids shouldn't be getting a hold of them.
Even when the perpetrator is an adult they should be aloud to get a hold of an assault rifle in the 1st place!
To quote linkin park, "In the end it doesn't really matter." Victims, their family's, politicians and all the shocked onlookers will always look for something or someone to blame. I can understand that. If I had a loved one who was involved in a tragic incident such as this I would want answers. However, the thing to bare in mind is that no movie director, no music artist, no games producer pulled the trigger or sold the gun. The answer problem isn't sitting on shop shelves. It's in the mind of the individual(s) who have no moral compass or sense of right or wrong...
Regardless of what I say people will always have their opinions. I just hope that the entertainment industry doesn't suffer because of a despicable crime and a mobs anger.
Very thought provoking, I have always had it in my opinion that the parents and politicians will always aim most of their anger on this issue at the media and entertainment industry rather than weapons manufacturers and sellers because... well...Would you rather take on geeks who make games or warlords with warehouses of AK47’s?
ReplyDeleteIt is an unfortunate circumstance we are in as the mental health of an individual is only in the recent decade being looked at more as a main contribution towards a serious crime. With this the treatment of mental health still is lagging behind, with people in the UK waiting up to year to see a psychologist or cognitive behavioural therapist, in USA from what I have read up on they share the same problem with identifying and treating people with mental health problems, this added with such relaxed gun controls is going to be a recipe for disaster. Mark