by James Waits

Created on: October 03, 2008   Last Updated: May 09, 2011

Does violence in video games contribute to real life violence? I think not, and here's why. Violence has always been a part of human culture, no matter where you are from or what you believe in, there is no denying that violence plays a large role in any society's history. Violence has been around a lot longer than violent video games. Do violent games contribute to violence in real life? No, but violence in real life contributes to violence in video games.

The art and entertainment of a culture is largely a reflection of said culture. If violence was not so rampant all around us it would be a lot less common in video games as well. Video games are not babysitters, and responsible parenting is the most influential part of a child's life, much more so than Grand Theft Auto 4 or Gears of War. If you buy your child a copy of Saint's Row or Call of Duty 4 and expect it to teach them right from wrong, or how to live, maybe next time your at the store you should pick up a mirror and evaluate your parenting methods. Games are just that, games. They are for entertainment, and should only be enjoyed by those who are level headed enough to differentiate reality from fiction. That's your responsibility as a parent, to instill that common sense in your child. You owe it to them.

It's easy to blame youth violence on video games since they are very popular amongst the younger generations. If you take that stance, your ignoring the fact that the average age of a video game player is a lot older now than it used to be. The vast, vast majority of people who grew up on video games are now living happy lives and not in prison for violent acts.

I ask you, what video games did all the cruel leaders and war mongers play? What video games did the Spartans enjoy that caused such violence? It's a matter of teaching the youth the difference between right and wrong. That will enable them to differentiate between real life and video games. It is true that children learn from what they see, that's why there are ratings on games and very young impressionable children, if they have not received proper instruction from their parents, should not play those games but ultimately it's up to the parents to teach their kids to filter whats real and what isn't.

In conclusion, just remember to take the time to talk to your kids. That's the best way that you can help them understand the importance of seperating fiction from reality. It doesn't take a lot, and it's not something you can sit down and get overwith once, it has to be an ongoing dialogue.

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