Upon hearing of the failure of the most recent federal weapon ban bill, I wondered how many more tragedies have to take places before a piece of legislation is passed then another thought popped into my head: what will they blame it on? Every time a big shooting happens the corporate media and politicians are so eager to blame it on violent video games and films, as a life-long gamer and filmmaker I take offense to that charge.
Their arguments are based on an outsider’s point of view and supported by vague psychological studies that are immediately countered with another study. The amount of airtime these false accusations receive is appalling and counter-productive to any meaningful social progress, which starts with ending this witch-hunt.Every pundit I see on TV yelling about violent video games are an outsider to the gaming culture, and because of that they cannot understand what the games are trying to teach the player.
When a parent walks by the living room and sees their child shooting aliens or humans alike, the parent only sees the immediate events on screen and here is where the problem festers. First, the parent obviously bought a game not suited for their child because the game was not designed for children.
A simple rating on the cover of every video game, since 1994 thanks to Mortal Combat, states the appropriate age to play the game. These are the ESRB ratings, and they function almost identically to the MPAA ratings for movies: G=E, PG=E+10, PG-13=T, R=M.
If a child is playing a Mature rated game, then that parent failed at protecting their child and the argument of the child can play it at a friend’s house does not work because that parent also failed. Parents and future-parents, take five second to look at the game and read the label. It is there for a reason.
If someone cannot take the time to look a rating for a game or movie to see if it is appropriate for their child, then they should not have had one in the first place because they obviously do not care about their child’s mental development. Mature games are crafted for years to be consumed by adults that presumably have a degree of emotional maturity and ability to separate fantasy from reality.
The other disconnect that gamers and non-gamers have is that non-gamers who just look at what is on the screen at face value cannot see the emotional motivations of the game’s narrative. We are not simply playing a character, we are the character; and that is the goal of any narrative based media: to put you in someone else’s shoes. Games enable us to be a hero, give us a second chance, and explore a new world, but more importantly we feel respected. In a society that is to cannibalistic to its members in every environment (school, work, law, religion, and family) video games and the fan culture are the only places many of us can feel as equals. The action is only there to move the plot and for visual entertainment.
What really makes people violent is actual violence and abuse. It is the alcoholic parent beating and belittling their kids, it is the preachers justifying hate in the name of a god, it is the bully in class, it is adult who left the gun out, it is the apathetic law-makers, it is the slave-driving boss, it is the complete loss of hope, systematic destruction of human dignity, and it is your silent compliance.
Silence never helps the victim and it only encourages the abuser. Violence is not a spontaneous act; it is a last resort and the proof that we have yet to become a civilized society, and there is no one to blame but our selves.
If we truly want to understand and stop violence, we only need to look in a mirror, say ‘I was the cause of pain, and today I will be the cause of healing,’ and then go out and help someone.
We do not need to join a humanitarian group to make a difference. Just give someone a compliment, apologize unconditionally, standup for someone who cannot. Being the best person you can be every day is hard, but is it harder to try being nice or to burying a loved one?
Grant Vargas
Senior Viewpoints Editor