It's Just a Video Game

Violence = Entertainment.

Violent games have been taking a lot of heat recently, especially in the States and in Europe, where they have been linked to the increase in youth violence. As it was shown in Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine,” the school “shootings” at Littleton, Massachusetts, involved high school shooters who were habitual players of violent video games. Fortunately, I haven’t heard any news similar to this happening in our country.

Not so long ago, the only violence we could see was on platform games that has become pop icons such as Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, and Pac man. I can remember my first console it was a weird looking black box with a long cord attached to a controller with a joystick and a single button. I have a video game where a plumber jumps over rolling barrels, climbs up ladders at each floor of a building and rescue a princess from a brute, King Kong. Now, technology has developed and video game developers have brought entertainment to a new level. The whole experience in video games today is so amazing that everything a well as the violence involved is depicted in such graphic detail. And when I meant violence, I don’t mean Mario jumping up and down on a turtle or Pac man devouring a ghost.

Aside from the gruesome gore, there appears to be violence directed on issues such as rape, women beatings, police brutality, racism and corruption. These games are guilty of promoting such subjectivity, and to mention that in these games, the player is rewarded for his behavior- more aggressive, more points.

I am not entirely against these games, 'coz I play some of them once in awhile. It is only disturbing to know that people, mostly the youth, are crazily hooked and influenced by it. We can’t directly blame them, for the human behavior is complex. Could it be society?

In the past, Rock music had also this treatment. It was also sighted as the cause of the increase in psychological arousal and aggression-related thoughts and feelings. I guess it is not that a big issue now. Video games or music marked with “For Mature Audience Only,” can still be accessed by kids pretty easily. I’ve seen grade school boys who play Counter-Strike but don’t even know how to operate the MS Word. It is up to the parents to give more boundaries, to monitor their children’s actions – in video games, music or other stuff.

Sometimes it makes me wonder, is it really violence that the market demands? Game developers should have widened their target of buyers to include the rest of society who want non-violent games, the good-clean-fun games.

Now, will you please excuse me while I finish the battle with the Dark Side? I’m going to take the Empire down!!!