Violence in Video Games
By: Jared Black
On Tuesday April 29, 2008 a truly controversial game was released to the American Public. This video game released to PS3 and X-Box 360 fanatics is a highly debated topic, and many wish for the game to never be released due to its high gore content, strong sexual themes, criminal activity, and strong language that is rampant within the game. The game itself has gone through many delays when trying to debut which was supposed to occur nearly a year ago; however, on the 29th of April Grand Theft Auto IV was released.
Debated by many to be one of the most violent games unveiled, numerous amounts of people wish for the game to not be released. They believe that it corrupts today’s youth and influences and teaches the young people and adults who play the game how to do murder and pursue many other criminal activities. So if this is true the world is in for a shock because the fourth installment of the Grand Theft Auto series is predicted to be one of the largest debuts in gaming history. That means that all the masses that buy the game will now become murdering sadistic criminals because they played a video game. Even though most know that Grand Theft Auto will surely be released countless wish that the youth be unable to get access to the game. Many lawmakers and parents know that minors will still be able to obtain the game even though it is intended for adults and has an ESRB rating of mature. Scores of parents think that the game will teach their children to kill and pursue violent criminal activities.
If this were at all true then most of my friends, part of my school, and myself would have all been engaged in criminal activity since around the sixth grade. That’s when Grand Theft Auto was released in 2001 for PS2 consoles. I was eleven when I first played the game and that seems to be the age in which kids can be most easily influenced. I have bought every Grand theft auto released since then and I have yet engaged in any criminal activities nor has anyone else I know. While playing the game I have no sudden urges to deal drugs and then murder somebody however lawmakers think that they have proof that the game influences people to become violent. There was a case in which and eighteen year-old killed a cop and blamed it on the game. However if you have the wit to murder a human and then blame murdering them on a video game then it seems that almost anything can influence you and you were in trouble from the beginning. If parents are so worried that their kid could become a killer due to a video game either put them in strict counseling or don’t let them play such games as Grand Theft Auto or even watch movies or TV programs with any resemblance of violence or misconduct of any sort. If this approach doesn’t work restrict their media intake to the Disney Channel.
