Violence in Videogames

In 1997 Rockstar Games debuted a videogame which would alter the world forever, Grand Theft Auto. Since its release, Grand Theft Auto and its predecessors have received tons of flack from society for being a bad influence on children and teens. Being the first of its kind, Grand Theft Auto has become a worldwide phenomenon and a household name. Though the graphics and stories have changed the game’s focus on violence and mature material has remained the same, if not gotten worse.

While many point the finger at the makers of these violent videogames such as Grand Theft Auto, are these really the people to blame? The Entertainment Rating Software Board (ESRB) requires that individuals be over the age of 17 in order to buy games with a “Mature” rating. If parents suspect that their children have violent tendencies, should it not be their responsibility to monitor their kids and make sure they are not playing these violent games in the first place? Personally, I don’t think that games like Grand Theft Auto have the ability alone to cause people to become violent. I started playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City when I was a teenager on my Playstation 2. Ever since then I have bought all consecutive GTA games that have come out. I play these games for mere entertainment purposes and it has never resulted in any violent urges. In fact, I know tons of my peers who play GTA and others like it and none of them have ever even considered doing anything violent in real life.

I think that people like to jump to conclusions so that they can simply have someone to blame for the problems in our society. Who is to say that violent kids and teens are more affected by things they see in videogames than the example their parents set for them? Just because there is a slight correlation between violence in videogames and violent behavior does not mean that videogames caused this behavior. This could simply mean that violent individuals are more likely to play these games in the first place.

I think that videogames can sometimes be a way in which people can create an alternate identity. They can do things that they would never do in real life. This can be related to David Bell’s comments on cyberculture and how we construct our own identity on facebook, myspace, or twitter, except in this case we are most likely creating an identity vastly different from our real selves.