Gaming and Violence

Many people use to think that games taught kids how to be more violent and inevitably made them more aggressive. Granted even since 2D graphics violence has been in video games but as systems got better and games became more real parents began to get worried as they saw it begin to have an affect on bullied youth.

Games have grown to become not only America’s pastime but the whole World’s. As online multiplayer quickly made its way into the gaming community. Over the years we have watched games go from bouncing balls to some the most beautiful visuals(you’ll want to watch the whole thing) and incredibly addictive gameplay.

But when does it go from fun past time and stress relief to violent rampage training? As we all know this is a tired and already disproven argument and I’m here as a testament to that. I grew up playing the classics violent games such as Mortal Kombat and Duke Nukem. While these are somewhat mindless violent games you could say that they could help with coordination and memory when it comes to remembering combos in MK. But as I got older I began to play more serious games. Metal Gear Solid quickly became one of my favorite game franchise. With a film style approach Hideo Kojima has developed a cinematic feel that brings great emotion and depth with every installment.  I beat the first game at a young age and understood then that games could be art.

As games progressed and got more realistic parents began to worry. My mother didn’t allow me to play The Getaway simply because it didn’t have a HUD. As a kid, I thought nothing of it trying to be more realistic, I just thought it made the game more difficult.

But now games now games have been pushing the envelope more for cinematic value. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare has been one to use dark cinematic scenes and game play to push players to the edge and make them uncomfortable in each game.(1, 2, 3). But many would argue that while controversial it doesn’t necessarily make you violent and can be pivotal in sending a message in the story.