Some of the recent tragedies to have unfolded in the USA have prompted calls for video games to come under review. Whilst some of the measures being proposed are eminently sensible, others are reactionary and fail to address decades of research that shows that there appears to be no causal link between perpetrators of violence and their gaming habits. It’s an easy trap to fall into and one I can relate to.
Some of the more sensible measures being proposed include restricting the sale of titles featuring violence to minors. That this isn’t being policed already is a shame. I would also suggest that parents have a duty of care to their children and shouldn’t arbitrarily expose their children to adult content, or turn a blind eye to them doing so.
In my own case, I enjoyed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for years, playing against people online. Although I certainly experience raised adrenaline levels and am sometimes shocked by the blurring of lines between what’s happening in the real world and what I am able to achieve on screen, I feel no compulsion to take to the streets with an automatic weapon, or any weapon for that matter. Anyone who lives in London knows that one of the most dangerous weapons these days is a loaded mouth. One wrong word to the wrong person can cause all kinds of trouble. We don’t even look at each other on buses!
That gang violence in London is dominated by knives should beg the question: Where are the video games portraying youths arbitrarily shanking one another that have caused this mess?
There is another argument that the continual exposure to violent material has a desensitising effect on society. It means we are less shocked by gun crime than perhaps we might otherwise be. It certainly doesn’t mean that more of us want to take up arms. Gun controls in the UK after Dunblane have been on the whole, successful, whilst video game depiction of gun violence has become more graphic, but we don’t hear people arguing that an increase in video game violence is what has resulted in a decrease in real gun crime.
Here’s what I’m seeing: That with the stories on this site from the people who make all kinds of video games, a childhood in which violence was inflicted on them has resulted in a flowering of creativity, character, calm, peace and success that is truly inspiring. If you want to see an example of this in the world of computer science, you need look no further than the deeply moving story of Ping Fu. Now we see examples from the world of video games, where the likes of Rami Ismail, Mike Bithell, Byron Atkinson-Jones, Stephen McGreal, Mark Kilborn, Charlotte Conopo and many others show that although violence was inflicted on them when they were young, and although they felt no hope then, now, their lives are a joy and an inspiration. Surely, the beacons that are these wonderful people will shine a torch for some tragic young person to edge hopefully towards, despite their daily grim reality. This is life “Beyond the Final Boss”
We can now legitimately ask the question: Do video games cause violence? Or does violence cause video games?
Excellent points, however I disagree with any laws restricting the sale of specific games to minors. All this will accomplish is to hurt retailers, who will be fined or worse if they inadvertently sell a game to a kid using a fake ID, or worse are the victim of a “sting” operation by someone who hates video games (i.e. Jack Thompson). Also, such laws always single out video games, instead of grouping them with other media such as films, music, TV shows, and even books. Major retailers already have policies in place for not selling mature-rated games to minors. Do law enforcement officials really need yet another distraction from everything else they have to do? The industry’s rating systems provide the information parents need to decide what is appropriate for their child. Too often, parents use a gaming console as a babysitter and a substitute parent, and don’t pay any attention to what their child is doing. That is what needs to change.