For awhile now I’ve been wondering about the appeal of ultra-violent video games, especially since I found that one of my closest friends loves nother better than a few hours of going toe to toe with Quake 2. So many of the bestselling games are wrapped up in violence, though my cursory attention has also noted a few that offer sexual titillation as well–I’ve really been confused about where the out and out pornographic games are hiding, to be frank–that I wonder about the appeal of such a high level of violence.
We do get fairly explicit violent movies and TV shows, and rap music indulges quite a bit of it too, but nowhere near the level of games like Grand Theft Auto, Halo, or Quake. Why is this difference so substantial? I played Quake a few times at my friend’s house but to me there is no thrill in shooting at his character or playing in team mode and shooting monsters the game serves up. Violence is, to me, in nearly any form a terrible and undesirable thing. Necessary at times to defend oneself but always unfortunate. So why do so many people get such a thrill from the game version.
And can the players ultimately separate the pretend from their reality or will it seep through in the long run? I was not surprised at all to read this morning’s paper and see that a study has been released correlating quantity of violence seen on television with violent behavior. The researchers interviewed hundreds of children ages six to ten, waited 15 years or more for them to grow up, and went back and examined their behavior. The key findings:
“Men who really liked such television shows as children were much more likely to have pushed, grabbed or shoved their spouses, shoved someone who insulted them, been ticketed for speeding or convicted of another crime.
Women who enjoyed violent shows, including Charlie’s Angels, were four times more likely to have thrown something at their husbands, shoved or punched someone else, or been caught speeding or committing another crime.”
So what are we letting ourselves in for in another decade or two when today’s six to ten year olds grow up and the destruction they craved and learned in Resident Evil and Master of Orion seeps into adult behavior?
BillSaysThis 