Jason’s insights

Someone commented on my previous post about “killing games” which can also be  known as first person shooters (may I point out that there are several 3rd person “killing games” Gears of War and Grand Theft Auto come to mind).

Following is their comment and my response which I have decided to make into its own separate post because this is a topic that I am rather vehement on.
[quote]
“Ok, so you say you’ve been playing “Killing Games” for years (I call them first person shooter games). I truly hate them. Gun safety’s first rule, is never point a gun at anyone….not even your dog, even if you have stapled him….hey that’s not nice!

My kids have grown up just fine, but they do have the same argument as you, I just don’t buy it. Look at the level of violence in our country, and you can’t chalk it all up to hormones in beef.

Read a book, talk a walk, talk to a friend, volunteer at the food bank, there’s lots to do, than shoot your poor stapled dog.”
[/quote]

“First off I would like to say thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts here, it shows a lot about you that you can disagree but still keep things civil.

I agree that there is a high level of violence in our country, it is my opinion, however, that this is due to poor parenting rather than allowing children to play fps’, or even (I am loath to admit) watching overly violent movies.
I personally have never watched the any of the Saw movies, I am rather horrified not only that someone would create a movie like that, but also that it would be so widely accepted.

At first I would be temped to think that if someone were to watch those movies, it would not cause them to do violence, but they would already be open to the idea of using violence and that is why they would not be as affected by those movies.
However, I realized that that was to broad of an idea. My best friend has watched all of the Saw movies, but you would never know that from just meeting and being around him. This guy is somewhat renowned throughout our group of gamers because of how much control of himself he has; he rarely ever loses his temper and when he does it barely shows. I am not saying that he bottles all his anger up, when something happens that will make him angry then he will just let it go and move on.

I am sure that you did not mean it as such but your comment that I should, “Read a book, talk a walk, talk to a friend, [or] volunteer at the food bank, there’s lots to do.” was extremely offensive to me. By this comment you are (maybe not purposefully) implying that people who play “killing games” do not engage is extra curricular activities, never read books, go outside, or keep an active social life.

I  can almost guarantee that I read more book that you do. Almost every night before I go to sleep I enjoy reading, my own personal library is somewhat extensive. I also greatly enjoy sports and keep in close contact with my friends (both local and otherwise).

Here is an interview I had with a pro gamer about this topic.

What is your background in video games?

Hewy – “I first started playing Sega Genesis, my favourite games back then were NBA Jam and anything to do with Sonic. From there it evolved, I picked up almost every console until I came across the XBOX. There I picked up Halo 1 and Amped Snowboarding. Ever since then I’ve been hooked on The Halo series, but balance out my time playing halo with Guitarhero II & III, Madden 2008, and Counter Strike Source.”

What are your thoughts on violence in video games and the rising violence in America?

Hewy – “The violence seems to be increasing as the  FPS genre along with adventure etc. continues to add more violence into their games because they believe it will appeal to their target audience. But violence in video games and it being the cause of violent acts in America just seems like an easy scapegoat politicians can use. Sure, it may be the cause of some instances, but that is very rare and the person who was influenced by the game most likely is somewhat mentally challenged or has some disability.”

How many hours do you spend on video games weekly?

Hewy – “Probably around 15-20, it usually depends on how much school work I have and what the schedules for other activities I have look like”

How do you spend your time when you are not playing video games?

Hewy – “I play Highschool and AAA baseball for my city, as well as running cross country and I freestyle ski competing across north America”

What would you say to parents who are concerned with their kids playing “killing games”?

Hewy – “I personally don’t think kids should play killing video games. Mainly because they don’t really have the mental capacity to know what is reality and what isn’t. I think parents should always keep track of what their kids are playing. But for teens, I think parents need to realize that most teens know it’s just a game and that they wouldn’t go out killing people in real life, and plus FPS aren’t always about killing, the strategies and mental aspect of the game are probably more important then killing and that’s another thing parents should look at. “

Also may I point out that this picture http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/imagerepository/LR_child_gun_250.jpg
was not taken on the streets of America.

I would also highly recommend reading this page.
http://hrewiki.pbwiki.com/Child+soldiers+-+points+for+a+talk
I read the whole thing, it should only take a couple minutes of your time.

Well, I am sorry that I dragged that so far out. I tend to talk a lot when I am defending something I am interested in.

In closing and to sum up my main points (which is a proper ending) I do not think that video games make people violent, I think that lack of proper parenting creates character defects which people like to pin on violent video games (whether fps or not). And while I do believe that violence is a present and escalating problem in America, I believe that it is a much greater problem in other countries where practically none of the people get to play any video games.”

-Jason