Don’t link us video gamers with an evil killer
TEENAGER Will Cornick, who murdered his teacher, Ann Maguire, is said to have had an obsession with violent video games (Mail). As a gamer, I feel I should defend my hobby against accusations that it fuels violent behaviour in young people. Violent video games have been around ever since video games came into existence — the very first game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Duck Hunt, released in 1984, involved shooting down ducks with a realistic gun peripheral. Did it inspire millions of children to shoot ducks for a hobby? Is there any real difference between Duck Hunt and Grand Theft Auto (especially when one is targeted towards children and the other isn’t)? The excitement and thrill of playing a video game, violent or not, is in the completion of goals and in taking on the persona of somebody else — not in the act of violence itself. Most people who play these games are fully capable of discerning between a real human being and a virtual object made of pixels. A study by the Entertainment Software Association and the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice found that, since 1996, the rate of violent crime in youths has plummeted as video game sales have increased. Video games give people a chance to escape reality for a while, to act out stories and fantasies which they may not ordinarily be able to do in real life, whether it’s the fantasy of being a soldier in conflict, going on an epic quest to save the world, or becoming the mayor of your own virtual town. Evil people always have and always will exist, with or without violent media. The solution to preventing tragedies, such as the murder of Ann Maguire lies in improving mental health facilities and ensuring that police, teachers and parents are better equipped to identify young people at risk of causing harm to themselves and others. CHLOE ANN HUMPHRIES,
Buckley, Flintshire.