Video Game Violence

Posted by: Veed

The role of video games in real-life violence

The tremendous growth in the popularity of video games over the last three decades has been accompanied by a simultaneous escalation in criticism and controversy.

Among the most prominent critics are parents, teachers and politicians who claim that the depiction of violent themes in these games often leads to copycat acts of aggression by young, impressionable gamers. The feeling of empowerment that certain games tend to endow these players with, they say, often emboldens them enough to play out their fantasies in real life.

These allegations are not new, nor are they restricted solely to video games. Violent literature, TV Programmes and films have all, at some point of time or the other, been at the recieving end of similar criticism.

But whereas in the case of the latter, the audience is merely a passive recipient, he or she becomes an active participant when it comes to gaming. The audience, moreover, is for the most part, required to take the point of view of the perpetrator.

This is why the portrayal of violence in video games is seen as considerably more worrying. And incidents such as the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999 and the Buckner Brothers case in 2003, among others, have done little to reassure.

But Mint manager Sujoy Roy disagrees. “While playing video games is becoming more and more immersive, the player always knows they are playing a game. In the same way that reading a book or watching a film puts the viewer in a work of fiction, playing a game is not something that can be confused with reality.

Perhaps it can, for the troubled or naïve teenager, but then the fault lies within the people themselves. It cannnot be attributed to external factors such as games,” he said.

US entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell once famously stated that violent video games are for the video game industry, what pornography is for the film industry. His claim paved the way for the popular argument that video game publishers have as much right as producers or publishers to exploit mature, adult-oriented themes.

Indeed, video games, like books, movies, or any other art form, target a wide age group. In fact, research suggests that children actually represent a minority audience. Adults, because they have far more to spend are looked upon, quite naturally, as comprising a more attractive market.

“In my experience,” concludes Roy, “playing games can be an extremely cathartic experience. It gives an outlet to blow off steam and relieve tension or aggression that might have been building up inside you.

“Personally I believe violent video games can be a huge help for people struggling to control anger and violence, and not the other way around.”