Don’t blame video games for America’s shootings
This week I wanted to write something a bit different. With the shootings in the United States, video games have come into the spotlight once again. I was recently asked where I stand on this issue.
A little background. I have been gaming since the Atari 2600 and played every system since then. I have played some truly strange and gory games like the Manhunt series. If you look at footage of these games, they are definitely not for minors or the faint of heart. I have also played all of the shooters you can name and the entire Grand Theft Auto series. So I know a bit about the topic. Back a few years ago, the U.S. government brought the same delusional idea that blamed video games for all the issues in modern society.
The giant issue that everyone seems to be overshadowing is the fact that video games actually help players.
If we take just the Wii system as an example, that system with its motion controller, helped countless people. Rehabilitation centres actually used the system for patients that had serious injures. They were helped with the motion controller.
Besides the rehabilitation factor, everyone from young children to the elderly enjoyed the system as a form of exercise.
Games themselves help countless individuals who feel isolated whether it’s be because of demographic or other personal reasons.
These games help them play online and socialize through online gaming sections, and actually build friendships and sometimes even long-lasting relationships. Players in games like World of Warcraft actually met and married the people they met through the game.
In the past several years, a really important video game was released called Life is Strange. This game delved into the deep emotional vulnerability of a teenage girl. This game has helped many people who felt they were the only one in the world with these issues.
I would like to see a person sit on the couch and play a game like Grand Theft Auto to escape the troubles of the real world any day of the week.
There are countless studies where researchers tried to see if playing violent video games made people more violent. They found no correlation between playing violent games and more aggression. A major point that the U.S. is overlooking is the simple fact that if video games made people violent, the rest of the world would react because video games are now released globally.
When Grand Theft Auto was released globally, we didn’t have reports of more car jackings, or robberies.
Back in the ‘90s, the ESRB was created with the sole purpose of rating video games so parents can see what age each game is appropriate for. These disclaimers will show everything from sexual content to the degree of violence and even coarse language. Parents can decide when looking at these labels if they want their child to have access to that title. Just like movies, parents have the final say as to what their child is viewing.
To say video games cause violence is not only incorrect, it’s also irresponsible and doesn’t address the real cause of all these acts of horror. --Feel free to contact Sascha at sggall@telus.net with gaming questions and more. On XBox One : acehardy13 On PSN: acehardy13 Sascha Heist is a lifetime gamer who resides in the Okanagan. He has been writing a video game column for The Penticton Herald since 2008.