Violence in Video Games

Violence in Video Games

In the Fourth week we had a discussion about Violence in Video Games and whether it entices people to commit violent acts. 

Personally for me i believe that violence in video games cannot encourage people to go out and kill for no reason. If they are thinking of acquiring a weapon and committing an act of violence then they are not in the sound of mind and need mental help.

Video Games do enhance hormones in the body such as adrenaline and  endorphin's when playing however there is no scientific evidence to prove that someone had played a violent game and instantly wanted to commit an act of violence once the had stopped. 

In the Media there are many different cases where video games have been blamed for the cause of massacres. One prime example is the Columbine Massacre that took place on April 20th 1999. The Game that was blamed for the sudden change in character in the two individuals who committed the massacre was the video game 'DOOM'. It is said that the two individuals had created a level which was based on their high school.

Violent Video Games should NOT be played by children. The Statement is clear and should be obeyed by all parents and law abiding citizens that are part of the united kingdom. The GRA (Games Rating Authority) issues ratings for all games that are recognized and sold in the united kingdom. the games are given a PEGI rating to the suited target audience. A PEGI rating is a system that allows consumers to know exactly what can be expected from a game, whether the game is violent, has profanity in, features drug abuse or if the game has certain features that are not suitable for certain ages. These ratings are there for a reason, to ensure that children arent witnessing the content that certain games have in them and also it allows the parents of the children to monitor what they are playing. However, Since this system has been introduced more and more parents are deciding to buy their children the games that are rated for adults only which exposes the children to the content of the game.

How can this be controlled and monitored?

There is no solid way to monitor what children are playing these days but if the parents of the children are knowledgeable about these games and know that their child could possibly be playing graphical games that are intended for 18+ then I believe that parents would think twice before buying their child a game that they shouldn't be playing.