We Might Not Make It After All: Video Games and Violence

    Welcome all to the first entry to my brand new blog, Modern Petulance (And a Few Good Beers.) I've started the name of this article with We Might Not Make It After All, which will eventually be a series of articles on society and their crazy crazy views. Sit back, relax, and fall over in your chair once you fall asleep.


"Violence in video games causes aggression and encourages violent behavior." This is a rallying cry for PTA parents, people who suck at video games, and that guy who keeps getting punched for not leaving the big dude's girlfriend alone.

Or maybe just because.

Across the nation, news companies and sensationalists have had a field day reporting on how the release of games such as Grand Theft Auto (GTA from now on) have caused a spike in violence across the globe. On the other side of the equation there is the steadfast band of gamer nerds crying out "BULLSHIT!" And not just because we just got bad latency on Street Fighter 4. There are plenty of arguments for both sides of the issue, but since I'm writing the article, and I happen to be on the opposing side (nothing beats blasting that one back talking character nine times in the face) we are going to hear my views on what the hell the real problems are.



 We'll start with something called Parental Investment. It means that it is the parent's job to insure that their children are eating properly, sleeping enough, and receiving the right influences day to day to successfully grow to adulthood and be an active member of society. The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) has a very VERY clear ratings system on the front of a game and an even more detailed rating on the back. Any dumbass that has lived in America for at least a month knows that the R rating on a movie means "Restricted" or at least that kids maybe shouldn't watch it. Well a big glaring M means "Mature" in video game world (it also says it under the giant M on the game) and the reason for the M is described in detail on the back of the game. It isn't like some games are like this, ALL games are like this for every system.

So you really do have to be some kind of idiot no matter who you are to consciously buy your kid something you don't want them to have. Oh don't go and tell me that you're kid got it all by themselves. Store clerks are not allowed to sell an M rated game with out proof of age or parental consent. Really. They can't. If you're kid got someone else to buy it for them, step up, exercise parental control, and take it away. And for God's sake, don't show them where you hide your piece.

"OK Carl! I want you to think about Haitians!"

Now, back to the PTA parents. You know the type. They know every teacher in the school, get daily status reports on their kids grades, run their house with an iron fist, and even run the Neighborhood Watch with Hitler-esque diligence. Just like the goose stepping genocide hiding behind a neat little mustache, they are the enemy of America. They are the first to rally at any sort of event they deem inappropriate, and will be on the news in a heartbeat to tell the world what whats wrong with it. These are the parents that take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and alternately complain about God being taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance. When that poor old Janitor from school accidentally farted in a classroom, they tell the school board that he is not right for the job and should have a psychoanalysis done immediately. And it fucking happens. You get it. I digress. These people, who's kids are poor souls who never had a chance at being happy until their breakthrough at the psychologist years down the road, hate everything. Especially video games. Video games are anti-church, anti-family, and anti-social in their eyes. But like all clever enemies, they develop a strategy. One day little straight-A Timmy emulates PTA Mom or PTA Dad around the kid who doesn't want to hear any of it, and gets footmarks on his face. This is called Social Status. Every school has the people at the top, and the people at the bottom. Straight-A Timmy is near the bottom because his Mom/Dad got a dress code passed where all students have to tuck in their shirts and wear a belt. Then he mouths off to a top rung and gets welted. I'm not saying I agree with social status, but it's there none the less. What does the Self Righteous Mom/Dad do? Blame the whole thing on video games. Sickening, to say the least. It just doesn't happen that way.

"Tell your mom that Max Payne sends his regards!"

I guess we could talk briefly on the number of scientific tests done on this issue that have produced no conclusive results. Yeah, you heard me. Scientists do agree that during video games the players exhibited heightened states of adrenaline and aggression. "We win! HA HA HA! Proof!" cries the mob lead by Goebbels himself. If you oppose this article, then go ahead and leave now with some form of self illusioned victory. And wonder forever what's coming next. Here it is: thats the only thing they have. I left out (for the sake of damaging minds) that your body does the exact same thing when you are driving a car. When your boss walks by. When you are watching dogs play. When you are watching sports. When you are playing sports. Even when you are having sex. During stressful times induced by just about anything, the body shoots the appropriate amount of adrenaline into play to deal with whats being perceived. We call this excitement. Kinda goes way back into our lineage with the whole Fight or Flight deal. Whoops.

Pictured: Grand Theft Auto

A coworker and I were discussing something called sensationalism (sensationalism: a manner of over-hyping events, being deliberately controversial, loud, or acting to obtain attention) and we decided that that is exactly what you are hearing. A person is shot in a gang war in gang turf with a gang gun and the cause is likely video game violence. After all we didn't have any of that stuff going on before video games. No sir. Hey ya'll guess what? The population has sky rocketed in the last ten years and violence has actually gone down nation wide. Think about that! Also think about how scientist applaud games like Call of Duty for helping build team relationship skills and even communication skills. I could go on. Lastly I would like to talk for a second about gamers and what we're about. Most of us use games as an escape. Yes there are people who take it too far but that can be for anything else also. We live our daily lives toiling away at school or work or whatever else that keeps us away from our precious systems. We, as a whole, are not really aggressive people in real life. Dare to touch that trigger button online and we will eviscerate you, but that's where it ends. Our aggression is unleashed upon the world via games, but games do not cause us to be aggressive outside of whatever game we're playing. It's a conduit for the troubles of the day to be taken out on, and then forgotten. Scientists blame violence in children on ADHD and guess what? Parents. A child who's father beats his wife will likely turn out to be a wife beater himself. A child who hangs around a foul mouthed household will likely call you a dickbeard in the near future. The late George Carlin said it best: "It's never the parents. Parents apparently play no part in the development and outcomes of their kids. Parents can raise a kid for twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years and if it turns out fucked up, well they had nothing to do with that! Parents have gotta be some of the most full of shit people in the world. If the kid turns out to be a loser, they had nothing to do with that. But if he's a winner, got a scholarship or something like that, man they are the first ones out there raising their hands trying to take a little credit." I love my parents. My parents love me. But that's not the case in some places. STOP BLAMING VIDEO GAMES AND LOOK AT THE SITUATION.

"It's not what it looks like!"

Thanks for reading.