Once again after a tragic school shooting occurs in the US, the topic of violence in video games rears its head.
Here is the brief montage shown at the Whitehouse meeting on video game violence:
I can imagine non-gamers being shocked and repulsed by the violence displayed in this video - whereas as a gamer I’m sure you’re sitting there figuring out which game each scene comes from. This in itself certainly reveals an aspect of video game violence - the more you are exposed to it the more desensitized you become to it.
For me the key difference is that I know it’s not real - no real person is getting hurt. Violence in games can often be overdone or comical even and therefore very unrealistic. Violence in real life is a very different story. In no possible way would a violent game ever cause me to be violent in real life.
That said, there are some games that make me uncomfortable with their depiction of violence. I won’t play a game like Dead by Daylight or Friday 13th. The thought of torturing and brutalising innocent people in such a visceral way does not appeal to me at all, it in fact repulses me. I know that the people aren’t real - but they move and act and plead in a very real way. I can’t deny that this authenticity would have some affect on me.
My last comment is that I do feel that violence in games can have a detrimental effect on children. There is a reason for an age limit - on games and movies. Sure, young teenage boys have a thirst for violence - probably as a way of trying to prove their manhood. But preteens and children can be very negatively affected by violent media. I am all in favour of age limits.