Generation V(iolence)

Chua Si Yuan | cathicabbage@yahoo.com.sg
the ridge Outspoken desk
A NUSSU Publication

Image courtesy of LEGO

“Life is a video game. Everybody’s got to die sometime.” So says Devin Moore, an American teen who murdered three persons, including two policemen, in 2003. Naturally, his words and actions caused a shockwave throughout America. Perhaps less predictably, the blame was laid upon violent video games. While it holds true that our generation is facing the onslaught of realistic and violent video games the likes of which have never been seen before, there is much to reflect upon before piling all the blame on video game companies. Most importantly, we must realise that we have ourselves to blame as well.

Moore’s case led to much controversy over an infamous video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and its producers, Rockstar Games, bore the full brunt of the very public assaults. Jack Thompson, an equally infamous attorney, fed on the ample publicity to continue his fanatic crusade against video games. Amidst all the attacks and debates, what mattered much was ignore – that of parental guidance.

There are existing laws which govern the distribution and sales of video games, such as the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which rates video games similarly to the way movies are rated. Yet, we have to realise that this is but a system which needs the enforcement by parents. Trying to use a ratings system to prevent children from playing violent video games is not unlike telling them to not talk about sex. We all know that they will find out themselves in any case, and from less than desirable sources, with less than desirable outcomes.

Although it is not unfounded to argue that children are being influenced by violent video games, we must also note that movies and other media have been influencing our generation and those of our parents in pretty much the same way. In the same fashion, our parents have been blaming Hollywood and pop culture for our supposed corruption. What needs to be done is not the suppression of video games, but the guidance of our children who play those games.

The biggest challenge for us yet is for ourselves to take on the responsibility of teaching our young, instead of blaming the inevitable rise of video games. We must begin the campaign at home, where the problem’s roots lie. Not only do we have to impress upon our children the fact that virtual reality does not equate to the real, we have to also invest more time on them. We must never overlook the fact that our time away from children is what is encouraging them to spend more time on video games. By being with them more often, we not only prevent the undesirable influences of violent video games on our children, but also lessen their dependence on the virtual world for comfort.

Instead of going on a pointless crusade against what is now part of our world, we have to find a way to ease the effects video games have on us. We, not the video game producers, have the responsibility of ensuring that our children do not take the virtual world for the real.