EDIT: Ok I'm a n00b and HTML tags don't work on here GG DJTyrant, L2BBCODE.
Cross-posted from my Live Journal because I can...maybe I'll start some more video game related blogging over here....
http://www.destructoid.com/anti-game-hysteria-just-the-way-it-is-with-tv--50032.phtml
Awesome article about the dialog between the write of Game Politics & "Dr." Susan Bartell about her claim about violent video games being the end all be all of humanity as we know it (yes, I am sensationalizing a bit). Good old Jack Thompson was waiting in the wings to spout the garbage out of his mouth like always that mainstream media (Fox's
Morning Show with Mike & Juliet no less).
Also
link to original story on GamePolitics.
Seriously though, this is absolutely ridiculous. Game Politics has been one of my favorite sites for a while and this is exactly why, bring rational thought and reasoning to the sensationalist claims of video games (art, also insert 'music', 'comic books', 'movies') causing people to go kill other people.
My argument is basically this:
If video games did in fact cause violence in individuals, shouldn't this generation be all out killing someone right now. There was murder well before the dawn of this form of interactive media, I mean lets take an example of [u]The Bible[/u]. There are a great many passage's that detail violence against another person (although one could argue it is contending that it is wrong and showing why, etc.). That not a good enough example? Let's take a look at some required reading for High School Freshman: [u]Lord of the Flies[/u]. Do I need to continue?
I'm just tired of people trying to pin it on media (video games taking most of the blame at this point) when we should look closer at the way children are raised and the involvement (or lack there of) of parents in children's lives today. And also that the fact that, unfortunately, I think some children are just wired wrong...that's just genetics and some people are just prone to a violent nature and this just exemplifies that.
Ok, I'm done ranting. Thoughts/complaints/etc, are welcome.