First off, there are loads and loads of video games that have no violence in them whatsoever that are, were or always will be great games.

Zelda, Mario, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Katamari Damacy, Tetris, Crash Bandicoot, some sports games, driving games (Gran Turismo, Burnout) and many others I'm forgetting.

The thing is violence is in just about everything. Cable TV, movies, music, sports, wrestling, video games and other things. Not only that, but our history is full of instances where this country uses violence and war to solve problems with other countries just like many people do to solve problems with other people. This, to me, is bigger than any of the others. It seems we need to go to war at least once a decade. The content in sports, movies, TV, video games and music are a reflection of what we have become through things like the frequent wars and the glorification of the violence therein and parents not being parents and teaching their kids the difference between fantasy in things like video games and reality.

Look closer at sports like football and hockey. Purely violent sports, no doubt about it. When someone is laid out on the football field, the one that put the hit on goes nuts and shows off to the crowd while many of his teammates come over and congratulate him. You'll no doubt see this hit replayed several times, then you'll see it more on sportscenter on the "Jacked Up" segment of football shows dedicated to nothing but brutal hits. When someone is rammed into the boards in hockey, the crowd goes wild and even more so if a fight breaks out. Yet, somehow, most fans of hockey and football know that they can't go down to the ice skating rink and shoulder check people into the boards and they know they can't go to restaurants and lay out the server and chefs if they screw up their order and if you don't know that, that's a problem in your head and has nothing to do with sports, video games or whatever else you do.

Face it, this country is fascinated with violence and like sex, violence sells. The product meets the market. To say that video games causes people to be violent sounds ridiculous to me. I don't play games as much as I used to, but most of the ones I enjoy have some degree of violence in them and I am about as anti-violent as they get when it comes to reality. If anything, violent games is a consequence free release where you can kill people or go driving at over 150mph and wreck other cars without worrying about being chased by cops and if you are chased by cops, you can run them off the road too with zero consequences. That's the beauty of video games; no consequences, but once you put the controller down, you snap back into reality where consequences of going to jail or even getting yourself killed are very real.

Fortunately, I was taught right from wrong and that things like movies and video games are just that, movies and video games; fantasy, not reality. When the line between the two is blurred, that's when you can have some problems.

[edit on 8-1-2009 by Kratos1220]

WTF?
You're forgetting games like psychonauts, Little big planet and Super Mario Galaxy. Not all games are geared towards killing but it's people like you who perpetuate this.

I suppose you could look at these kind of games as a safer outlet for these actions than doing them in real life. If you having a bad day and you want to blow off some steam then it's much better to turn on the Xbox and have a good at Fallout 3 rather than load up with a shotgun and start blowing the heads of milkmen.

Plus, a lot of this comes down to eduction. I have 3 kids (5, 2 and baby) and they know I have games like Fallout 3, Fable 2, MK vs DC, Crackdown and the like. But, then know that the content is 'naughty' and not to copy it, which after reminding them a few time, they now follow very well. You have to work with what you have. If your kids are playing games that are violent then step in and teach them. If you friends are playing these games and becoming a bit erratic with them then step in.

All in all, video games will be demonised for the next few years because of a generation gap. Some people get it, most don't. The negative side of games will always come to the top because people want to harm it. You never hear about the millions of gamers who DON'T go out and kill people after playing Fallout 3...

...damn I love that game...

[edit on 10-1-2009 by NoHopeForSome]

Trust me...it's not the games. I used to play on xbox live long ago. You want to hear what is wrong with kids these days...go take a listen to it. It's not the games. Playing a sports game and hearing the N word 100 times during a game has nothing to do with game itself. It's ignorant immature kids...kids that have parents with whom have no idea what their kids may be spouting out or listening to....or it's kids that mirror the very same views of their parents.

It's not the games...it's the people that play them.

Why do you do it on a video game if you wouldn’t do it in real life? Hmm, because there is no real life consequences from doing it in the video game. In the real world you realize the harm that it inflicts on other people and the possible outcomes of your decisions to do such.

Besides we are all animals and it is just hella fun to go on a video game and do all the things you wont do here in the real world. Great stress relief in my opinion. And it is only the people that are already unstable that go out and do what they see on the games. A well grounded person knows the difference.

I have played the violent games and guess what, I like many others are not running around robbing and killing everybody. Why because we know the difference in reality and the game.

Parents should be the ones blamed for what these kids do. Its the responsibility of the parent to know what their children our doing. They should know whether or not their child is mentally mature and stable enough to play a violent game. Parents do a little research in the games before you buy them or when you see what your child is playing. And then decide if your child is mature enough to play.

ive played mindless violent video games for awhile and i dont think its changed my feeble mind

some people say that video games make people violent, as a gamer, i think we should kill those people