by Adam Karnes

Created on: February 10, 2009

I was reluctant to vote in this debate. For as long as people have argued the effect of violence in video games on real life behavior, I have swung back and forth between sides. The issue is not as simple as many people make out. This is because ultimately, the impact of a violent video game on an individual is not based on the game-it is based on the person playing the game.

I am siding with the yes voters on this issue. I am also a gamer who plays violent video games. Am I a hypocrite? I don't think so. I'm not in favor of abolishing violent video games. That said, I DO believe that violence in video games has contributed to real life violence. This may make it sound like I think that real life violence is a good thing. I do not.

Violent video games are like a litmus test. Some people can play them and not be negatively affected. Some people cannot. I believe that those individuals who have trouble separating fantasy from reality should refrain from playing violent video games. People who have a naturally violent or explosive personality should also avoid playing such games. I have played violent video games for over fifteen years. I have enjoyed shooting villains, lopping the limbs off of evil ninjas, and blasting the heads from zombies. I've never been negatively affected by these games. No doubt has ever existed in my mind that these things are all pretend. When I am done playing, I turn off the console or computer and return to real life. Yet some people can't seem to make this separation. It's as if for some people, the gap between the game and real life doesn't exist. I have personally seen people at the arcade slam quarters into the slots of violent shooters and act out all of the anger and hostility in their personal lives through the medium of the video game. This is unhealthy and wrong. If video games ever became a source of release for me through which I channeled anger and hate, I know that I would have to give up my hobby. Video games are meant for relaxation and entertainment. They are not meant for people to do things they would like to do in real life but only don't because they don't want to go to prison. When people play video games because they would like to do inappropriate things in real life, they foster unhealthy desires in their minds. I do not doubt that for many violent people, violent video games have offered a kind of practice realm for them to work themselves up to the point of doing something inappropriate in real life.

Obviously, separating people into these two catagories is difficult to do in an administrative sense. I suppose there isn't any way for video game vendors to interview game purchasers and ask them, "Are you a violent person? Do you have trouble separating fantasy from reality?" So perhaps the distinction I am making isn't helpful. Maybe violence in video games needs to be abolished altogether. If that's what's necessary, I for one am willing to give up violent video games to make the world a safer place. But I do wish for an easier solution. I wish people would practice self-control and know their own limits.

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