Video Games are the Devil

By Nightsong

            All violence among people under 18 is caused by video games and similar violent media.  It’s true.  I mean, let’s think about this here.  A kid is picked on on a daily basis by his peers.  His parents are never there for him at home, leaving him mostly to fend for himself.  His grades are suffering as a result of this, which in turn leads to more pain.  He has access to a gun.


            Oh, and he plays Mortal Kombat sometimes after school. 

 

            Obviously, up till that last point, this child represents the American Ideal; basically, what our society as teenagers does to people.  No problem, right?  I’m sure he could have grown up to be a well-rounded wife-beater or politician.  …But he plays Mortal Kombat.  This little fact pushes him over the edge, quite obviously, and turns that desire to hide in a corner somewhere like a good little boy into a desire to FINISH HIM, finish all of those bastards that make him feel bad.

 

            …See anything wrong with this logic?  I would guess you do.  It’s a pretty simple thing to determine that it was the other factors in this person’s life, not the fact that he played video games, that pushed him to murder.  And yet people in Congress, who we supposedly choose as the brightest and therefore best to represent our interest, draw a connection between the two. 

 

From where do they draw this logic?  Because, as they ‘know’, ALL* VIDEO GAMES ARE VIOLENT.

 

* - note, in this case “ALL” actually means “some.”

 

Thus, they demoralize our society, numb them to violence.  And no, the numbing effects cannot be denied.  However, they are not limited to video games; they are a consequence of living in our society.  And our society seems to function fairly well, for what it is.  So why the hell did they pin it on video games?

 

            Simple.  They needed a scapegoat.  Vengeful parents had lost their children, people all over the US were crying out for a reason to why all these things happened.  So the politician-types looked around, digged a bit, and found out that these kids played video games.  It was something no more significant than saying “these kids like Sprite,” … I suppose we should all be glad they didn’t choose to try to put the Coca-Cola company out of business, and lead lots of angry parents to sue them. 

 

            But why, then, it is often argued, do so many potentially violent individuals play video games?  For this, I’d like to use a quote from Human, a regular at the forum and author on this page.

 

“Playing videogames won't change that. It's the same for all of us. Videogames may not be a cause, but a symptom. Many of us who play are very introverted, private. Videogames, especially RPG's, [are] solitary. And, let's face it, most forms of mental illness usually involve seclusion. We can only hope, pray, and try and recognize the symptoms in others. If you guys want, I can provide links/pamphlets/phone numbers on the issue.”

 

            It’s not unreasonable to say extended play of a game could be taken as a sign of depression, no.  In fact, it makes a lot of sense.  The thing I would ask people to bare in mind is that playing video games is not the ONLY symptom to look for; a lot of people, myself included, play them when they’re feeling fine as well.  You really have to look at these things on a case-by-case basis, and trust the parents to do their jobs, instead of never being around then being shocked as hell when their kid snaps one day. 

 

            No amount of legislation can change who the responsibility must fall to; it will only lower the number of ways we can enjoy ourselves.

 

 

WARNING:  If you didn’t like this rant, you probably need to get over it.  Mr. Nightsong does not need your flames.  However, if you have a valid point to make against this rant, or wish to send in a comment in agreement with it, it would be much appreciated.


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