Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?
Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?
My thoughts on the coming collapse can be found here.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Blame the Video Game
A recent string of shootings in Chicago will probably be linked to today's release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Never mind that violence in major cities existed long before, well, video games. Somewhere, a generic activist organization is already working to blame this violent video game for the demise of the modern American society.
During the height of the Persian Gulf War, I was playing Super Mario Bros. 3, but I don't remember drawing comparisons between American fighter jets and Mario, who, if you don't remember, could fly. Still, now that I look back on it, the coincidences are startling. Did the US government become active in the conflict because of Mario's adventure? Only time--and money--will tell.
In the 1990's, my obsession with GoldenEye for Nintendo 64 only ended after I realized that the Columbine shooters probably used the game to target terrorists (though they pretended they were classmates). Thankfully, Marilyn Manson took the fall for that incident, and the video game industry was largely saved. How is it, though, that millions of people play these games, yet there aren't millions of murders?
Maybe, just maybe, it's us--and not the games we play.
Today, Grand Theft Auto titles are largely to blame for anything and everything wrong with America. It makes sense, really. The game is violent, so people become violent. The game celebrates crime, so we celebrate crime. It couldn't be any clearer that violent video games contribute largely to the collapse of our society; besides, look at what violent movies have been doing since, um, forever?
Thankfully for the creators of GTA, they can't be blamed for slowing the economy--rough estimates suggest that Grand Theft Auto IV will sell millions of copies in its first week of release. So, if anything, we can thank them for doing what President Bush's stimulus checks won't do: Make people go out and buy something.
P.S. Don't bother reaching me, I'm playing GTA IV.
During the height of the Persian Gulf War, I was playing Super Mario Bros. 3, but I don't remember drawing comparisons between American fighter jets and Mario, who, if you don't remember, could fly. Still, now that I look back on it, the coincidences are startling. Did the US government become active in the conflict because of Mario's adventure? Only time--and money--will tell.
In the 1990's, my obsession with GoldenEye for Nintendo 64 only ended after I realized that the Columbine shooters probably used the game to target terrorists (though they pretended they were classmates). Thankfully, Marilyn Manson took the fall for that incident, and the video game industry was largely saved. How is it, though, that millions of people play these games, yet there aren't millions of murders?
Maybe, just maybe, it's us--and not the games we play.
Today, Grand Theft Auto titles are largely to blame for anything and everything wrong with America. It makes sense, really. The game is violent, so people become violent. The game celebrates crime, so we celebrate crime. It couldn't be any clearer that violent video games contribute largely to the collapse of our society; besides, look at what violent movies have been doing since, um, forever?
Thankfully for the creators of GTA, they can't be blamed for slowing the economy--rough estimates suggest that Grand Theft Auto IV will sell millions of copies in its first week of release. So, if anything, we can thank them for doing what President Bush's stimulus checks won't do: Make people go out and buy something.
P.S. Don't bother reaching me, I'm playing GTA IV.
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