Re:My take on the violent games cause violence (Score 1)

bleargh!

I hate to break it to you all, but GAMES ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. Parents, religious leaders, politicians, and heck, even some of us are more than happy to pin the blame for various social phenomena (including an escalating crime rate among teenagers) on computer games, but it seems to me that they are looking for a convenient scapegoat without really considering the problem.

True, many computer games involve violence. True, this may have a tendency to rub-off on an individual. But only a person who is mentally unstable will be unable to differentiate between what is happening on the computer screen and what happens in Real Life. Most computer games I know of (whether they be FPSs or sims) involve a keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick. The gamer sits behind his computer manipulating these devices, while viewing a bunch of coloured dots on his monitor. Should he/she be 'slain', he/she will return with a click of the mouse to play on. Last time I checked, the Real World isn't perceived through a monitor, and I don't control objects through a keyboard-mouse interface. And I don't make annoying noises when I jump (ala the Quake guy) and run at 90+ mph.

I play computer games, and as someone (who shall remain anonymous because I can't remember his name, sorry) pointed out, I still don't know how to operate a rifle. I haven't even held one, let alone pulled the trigger. And I, like everyone else I know, understand that once you die, you're dead. No coming back. For me and countless others, the difference between computers and Real Life is clear and inviolable. I can walk away from a nice Quake deathmatch and not feel any inexplicable urges to gib someone, and I strongly suspect that 98% percent of gamers are the same.

Although computer games are not the problem, they may be a symptom of the problem. I tend to agree with TheFitz when he suggests that the lack of attention (and guidance) from parents is, at least partially, responsible for the situation.

Many people will point to the horrible events that transpired at various schools (you all know the ones) and to the clearly deranged youths who perpetrated them. They will go to great lengths to emphasize the connection between said youths and computer games (which most teenagers, and many adults I have met frequently play). They will go to equal, if not greater pains to conceal the fact that the shooters are part of a negligible minority of society that suffers from certain mental difficulties. But they will conveniently avoid examining the deeper, and more important issues. If, as they would have us believe, the idea of violence was derived from games and movies, why did this idea ever cease to be a mere idea, and how did they achieve the means to effect this idea? Where did the weapons necessary for the brutal attack come from? Why were the parents so completely ignorant of the preparations being made by their children? Why were school officials (hehehe... I know a LOT of /.ers will have strong opinions about THIS) oblivious to the fact that some of their students were experiencing difficulties, and why weren't the parents alerted to this fact?

Computer games are not to blame in this, and countless other situations. Their parents, and to a certain extent, Society in general, are responsible.

I am sorry to disappoint you, ladies and gentlemen, but violence does not stem from computer games. I will likely be moderated down for this, but we, as a society, have all but turned our collective back on things like morals (I'm not talking about religion... just MORALS... you know, things like COURTESY, HONESTY, etc.). It's no wonder that violence is rampant. If, as befits their responsibility, the parents were to inculcate said virtues into their children, we'd be complaining less about violence among children, then, say, their grades ;-) Stop blaming games for a problem YOU have created, and open your proverbial eyes to the reality of the situation. Games are nothing but a physical manifestation of the dilemma. Start teaching the children what it means to be just, to be trustworthy and see what happens. Take away the firearms and weapons and see what happens. Start talking with YOUR children about the problems they may be having (and not just, "oh... how was your day?" type of thing, but a deep, sincere discussion that shows you care) and, who knows, we may not have to worry about this again.

And for those who care, I'm a high school student, and I'm sorry for the long-winded post.