I remember the first gaming article I ever published for GameGirl in 2008. It was titled ‘Violence and Gaming’. It’s funny how something relevant in the gaming industry back then is still relevant now. Over the years, I had hoped that the controversy of violence in video games would dissipate. Unfortunately that is not the case.
People want an outlet. They want someone to blame. Video games, unfortunately, has been one of those outlets. Parents, Judges, Journalists, even the NRA. They all do it. Think about the headlines and issues you have heard about over the years: Do Video Games Make Children Violent?, Boy Kills Parents Over Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto Blamed After Taxi Driver Murdered in Thailand. The list goes on and on.
It saddens me that 3 years later, we still have controversy over video games and violence. Gamers are being given a bad rap, and a rap they don’t deserve. Why don’t they look at other areas and circumstances that led up to the violent act? Why not look at what is really failing the victims? It certainly wasn’t video games that failed them. Video games didn’t pull the trigger. Video games are just that: GAMES!!
They are given ratings deserving of the content. So if your child, teen, or even adult is not capable for handling the content. Then don’t purchase the game for them. They are rated Mature because you need to be mature to handle the content. So how about people stop making excuses, take responsibilities for your actions, and let people enjoy their video games. After all that’s what video games are there for.
