Video Games: A Violent Future
Video Games: A Violent Future
ghost | 8236 Reads | Video Games: A Violent Future
For long this debate has been a heated one, the question is – are violent and destructive video games encouraging children (and even teenagers in some cases) to attack, and even kill innocent people for no other reason than that they have seen it in a game.
Of course, this is the forbidden experiment – which affects us more; genes or our environment? Much like the many stories of ferrous children which have shown disturbing characteristics of the animals they have been brought up with, some children who have been subjected to hours of “head shot!†have also shown signs of violent, destructive behaviour.
Who can forget the frightening Tennessee story of the two step brothers, who in an effort to relieve their boredom decided to open fire at traffic on Interstate 40 with a .22-calibre rifle. The boys; William (16) and Joshua (14) said that they were merely acting out scenes from the popular game – ‘Grand Theft Auto’. Germany has also suffered a case such as this; in 2002 Robert Steinhaeuser stormed his former school, shooting dead 13 teachers and 2 fellow pupils. It was later revealed that he was almost obsessed with the terrorist game ‘Counterstrike’. His attack was much like the scenes in the game, and when I read this it reminded me of the September 1st attack on the Russian school Beslan by hostile terrorists in which 344 civilians were killed, 186 of them innocent children.
However it’s not just other countries that have had to take games off the shelves for fear of influencing more children. Britain too has had its fair share of violent deaths, in February 2004, Warren Leblanc lured 14 year old Stefan Pakeerah to a Leicester park and brutally murdered him with both a knife and a claw hammer, acts he was almost re-enacting from ‘Manhunt’. *A game which has been named “a killer’s guidebookâ€. I’ve never played the game, but I went onto the website (http://www.rockstargames.com/manhunt/main.html) and looked at the stills – images of men with clubs, guns, electric chairs, knuckle busters, machetes, strangling, masks, and finally, running away. Quite a powerful message we’re sending to the youths of today.
NB:* a) I didnt name it this b) tolchocker would like to call it the 'disposable killers handbook'.
But the one thing I can’t quite understand if whether this link is strong enough to prove – sure in these cases, obviously the playing of these games had a direct effect on the boys: however one question comes to mind- ‘What about the children’s upbringing?’ We cant just target the creators of the games, but the children’s parents – I’m a proud player of Unreal Tournament, I turn the gore level up to extreme, I’ve seen films like ‘Saw’, ‘Saw2’ and ‘House of Wax’, but I’m not reaching for my Enforcer Gun to shoot down my family and friends, and I'm pretty sure that video games didn't teach Warren everything he knew about the world, ultimately why was he allowed to play these brutal games?
So what is the games market to do? Take off all the ones that involve violence and replace them with educational games or those games with happy families which subliminally teach morals and ethics? The human character is a strange one, and there is a darkness within everyone, and these games seem to be bringing out this immorality – but until parenting is perfected, and the world is crime free, examples like those mentioned will continue to happen; regardless of the latest games.
90percent (1) x
ghost 18 years ago
I wrote an article an the affects of violence in video games (not sure if it relates completely to your, didnt read it =/) (not here) You might catch it in the next issue of zine.
ghost 18 years ago
The game violence has to affect the brain in some wan, but I think that there has to be something wrong with them that gets stronger if they play games like these a lot.
ghost 18 years ago
hummmmm iv played the wc and c+c series since i was 5….iv never mean more voilent then any of my peers
ghost 18 years ago
I <3 GRAND THEFT AUTO (and counterstrike)
if they were taken off the shelf, i would cry.
Thucydides 18 years ago
I think that there are possibly some side effects to alot of individuals who spend large chunks of the time playing video game, namely the addictive properties of video games that can take over so much of someones life. The connection between video games and violence on the other hand, has never been proven and is unlikely to exist.
ghost 18 years ago
Thucydides, i think there is a connection, just not a strong one. Warren was almost acting out when he saw in the game: surely theres a relationship there.
ghost 18 years ago
Grindordie yeah i think the games are okay, with strong minded people - and people who have enough sense to know that killing people is wrong and immoral, its just the misguided individuals that end up like this
ghost 18 years ago
Its like this: It depends on the player. Perfectly normal kids with happy lives probably wont want to go and shoot somebody after playing CS. Kids that re-enact cs have some kind of problem in their life, usually depression, frustration, anger, something. Most school shootings where performed by kids that where bullied or picked on in school. Video games just give them the final spark to do something violent.
ghost 18 years ago
naming manhunt as 'a killer's guidbook' is just stupid.
- its not a book
- it give the idiots who do try to re-enact the games the idea that this one is how you do it properly so are more likely to try and copy the brutal killings in manhunt (dear god i loved that game) rather than the other 'soppy' killing games.
- manhunt doesnt deal with disposing of bodies so although it may fulfill its title in that it tells you how to kill, the bodies are still there along with fingerprints, hair strands, drool, or sperm if you are just plain wierd. so you are likely to get caught. thus they should re-name it as 'the disposable killer's guidebook'
i may have drifted from the point a little but who really cares?:D
ghost 17 years ago
I think this is all BS, games just spread the enjoyment of violence in your own home without you having to actually do it. When I want to slit someone's throat, I just play a quick game and get it out of my system.