Violence in video games and the impact it has in human behavior. This has been a hot topic for decades now. It has been talked about more and more now that graphics, animations, and behavior in video games have become more realistic. The question is do these more realistic violent scenarios in games contribute to real life violence in society. The answer may be surprising to some. However, the media and supporters against violent video games need to relax and stop with the horribly one sided arguments.

Does violence in video games contribute to real life violence? The answer is yes. Yes, it does contribute to violence in society. How can someone argue this? There are people that admit they developed their murder plans, robberies, etc from actual video games they have played. When someone gets their plans from a video game, that is a contribution. Even if it makes up a very small percentage of people that commit crimes and mention a game helped them. If it was just one person in history, you would still have to say video games contribute to violence in society. In all reality the percentage of people that attribute their crimes to video games is rather low.

Here is the thing though. Video games are not the only medium people get ideas of violence from. Throughout history any story or entertainment can contribute to violence. You take music, movies, theater, etc. They all have accounts of people using scenarios to plan or commit crimes. Anything people use to generate ideas could, in theory, led to violence. There are people that murder others in the name of their god even. There will always be the wack jobs that cannot separate fantasy and reality. We cannot place blame on violent video games for people in general. If someone is stupid enough to copy a dangerous stunt or commit a crime from some form of entertainment, then they deserve what is coming to them. It is on them! We would have to ban any story in any medium to completely remove the contribution of violence. And even if that was somehow possible, people still talk and share stories. We would have to stop people from communicating with each other.

The media in general needs to just relax and stop placing blame on video games. I have been a gamer for over two decades and have played the violent of the violent games. Does that make me a minority of people that played violent games and it hasn't somehow infected my mental stability? No, I'm not the minority. Once a story "breaks" it's the medias job to discuss and bring national attention to it by adding drama to it. Katie Couric just recently spoke about this topic and got gamers up in arms. So Katie went to twitter to pose a question to gamers. 

Passionate gamers upset w convo whether violent video games can contribute to v behavior. Tweet the positive side of violent v games? Thanx! - @katiecouric

Now I did reply to this on Twitter. However, I had to stop and think. Not because I was trying to come up with a good response but because how does one come up with a positive about violence? I believe that violence doesn't belong in our world. If I could get rid of all the wife beaters, murderers, rapists, etc in the world, trust me I would. This question is why Katie is good at her job. She has put us into a situation that we are trying to defend violence but also are trying to say why violence in games should stay. The answer to this question isn't "Here is the positive side of violence in video games...". The answer to this question is, why does it matter if it's violent or not? That is why there is a ratings system. If parents are up in arms about violent video games, then stop buying violent games for your children. They are NOT recommended to play and are NOT the demographic for the game. Be responsible people. Just because there is violence in video games doesn't make the video game industry evil or responsible for a rise in violence. Violent games do not contribute enough to crime to justify this much coverage over the topic. 

I'm quite frankly pretty sick of defending video games at this point. The wold isn't going to collapse because GTA IV allows you to murder dozen of people in broad daylight. Violence is in our nature and it will continue to occur unfortunately. There will be more wars, bombings, shootings, etc. Some might be inspired by games/music/movies/television/books/theater and many more will not. There are more pressing issues that need national attention and all this effort to be to the main stage.

Leave a comment on what you think. I'm interested to hear from more of you. Thanks!

The Wii U is a fun game console. It has a lot of potential and Nintendo is doing some things right with their eShop now. However after months of being released we have one huge problem. The console is lacking strong software. Since launch we have had one reasonable launch for the console, Monster Hunter. The game is fun and a lot of people were looking forward to it. However, it was marketed poorly and didn't seem like a big deal. Software for the console is almost nonexistent. We need new highly anticipated titles. The problem is third parties aren't sold on the Wii U's success.

Nintendo has done a very poor job at marketing the Wii U. That is clear and Nintendo needs to show the value in the console. There are many people out there that don't even know Nintendo made a new console. They either don't know a Wii U exists or think that a Wii U is an add-on for the Wii. I have been in a video game store before and had to explain the difference between the two systems. I don't recall seeing any kind of ad or commercial for a Nintendo product other than the 3DS. They really need to figure this out. Also since they are not doing a big presentation at E3, they are dropping the ball once again on marketing. They will still have a presence but not in a way that the big boys like Sony and Microsoft will have. Nintendo with that decision will make themselves look out of place and not in the same league.

The reason I wanted to hit on PR real quick is because I believe this has a compounded impact on the software makers decision to pull the plug on games for the Wii U. The sales for the Wii U are horrible at best. Since launch they are still under 4 million units moved. That is LOW. If I was a publisher, why would I want my game on a platform that is doing so poorly? That is what is going on right now. Grand Theft Auto IV is a highly anticipated title that is coming out this year. And guess what...It is not coming to the Wii U at launch. It may a while down the road but after everyone has already played it or bought it. That is a problem. it doesn't deliver the experience to the Wii U that they need.

Nintendo usually relies on their own regulars to make their consoles. Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Mariokart, Smash Bros, etc. These games are great for the console and exclusive. However, they don't feed the need for all the gamers out there. They HAVE to get serious about bringing in third party games. They have to mend relationship (like with EA) to bring these games in. They have to show value and that the games will sell on their console NOW. This time is crucial for Nintendo as well since the PS4 and Xbox 720 is right around the corner. They have the next-gen market for themselves now. They need to sell as many consoles as they can before those new consoles come out so they can secure software sales in the future.

When asked about their dilemma Nintendo is always pretty reserved and optimistic about the future of the Wii U. I hope they are right and that the Wii U is a huge success in the end. However, I don't think they are taking the third party issue as serious as they should. They need to get more of these titles on the console or gamers will continue to think of the Wii U as a soft console without any consideration.

This is my weekly blog of everything Nintendo this week. I made this blog so you can have a one place that would give you all the information you need from the week. Look through it and if you find something I overlooked or would like to mention something, leave a comment!

Week March 31st

As you may know Deus Ex is coming to the Wii U. Lots of news has been floating around about this game. It appears that it's the best of all the platforms. The boss fights have been refined, the graphics refined, controls refined, added content, etc. This is on my radar and should be on yours too.

As you may know, Aliens Colonial Marines is still not out for the Wii U. Sega was supposed to have released this game in late March for the console. When asked what's up, Sega could only comment, "Still no comment on AMC, sorry!" This game was on my radar about a year ago. Since it's release on other platforms, it's clear that the game is behind horrible. I am interested to see if perhaps Sega and/or Gearbox is reworking the game for a Wii U release later this year. Time will tell!

There were two system updates released this week. One for the Wii U and one for the 3DS. The Wii U update refreshed the communities and limited the viewing to 100 posts to speed up loading times. The 3DS just fix some issues that some people experience on the last update. Neither update really did much but if you see the light go up, you know you have an update waiting.

Also, Nintendo is touting big news for Pokemon X/Y soon as well. A new Mewtwo form is floating around and perhaps we will hear more about this.

Sad news for the week

This may or may not be sad as the game really really sucks. But it was announced that Sega will be cancelling Aliens Colonial Marines for the Wii U. This came as the game was released for other platforms months ago and has received very poor reviews. I was hoping for a more polished release but it appears that they have given up on this title, as should you.

This is my weekly blog of everything Nintendo this week. I made this blog so you can have a one place that would give you all the information you need from the week. Look through it and if you find something I overlooked or would like to mention something, leave a comment!

Week March 24th

Luigi's Mansion came out on Sunday this week. The game is very fun and you'll find a lot of ghosts to hunt. Nintendo did a great job marketing this game and even placed a special visit from Miyamoto himself in the Mii Plaza. Luigi is once again needed to bust ghosts in mansions in the valley. He uses his special vacuum cleaner to solve puzzles and capture ghosts for research. The game stays true to a lot of the original game play. This time around is more puzzle based and a lot of fun. Multiplayer is not accessible at first but shortly after completing four missions, is unlocked. You'll have a lot of fun playing online or local as there are a couple of game play modes and ghosts to see in multiplayer.

For Monday, owners of a 3DS once again received a system update. Version 5.0.0-11U has been made accessible via wireless. The update wasn't anything drastic but did include updates to eShop and some system improvements. You're required to update to access the eShop but I haven't found any issue with the update so I would recommend it.

Miiverse is coming to smartphones, PC, and the 3DS....eventually. The apps for smartphones and PC should be released in May. Which is sooner than I expected. Now for the 3DS update, which I am much more excited about, doesn't have a date yet but will be released this year. Now this is huge for the 3DS but as noted by Nintendo a lot of the already released games will NOT be Miiverse compatible.

Netflix is on Nintendo TVii FINALLY! Also no update is required. This is a great addition and should make watching your favorite shows on Netflix more enjoyable. I have to admit at the time of this writing, I have not used it yet. However, once I get home tonight, I'll be watching some Walking Dead.

Sad news for the week

Battlefield 4 will not be coming to the Wii U. This makes me sad as it feels like game companies still don't trust the platform for strong sales. Which I don't blame them as Black Ops II was released at launch and Activision has been vocal about it's slow sales. I hope this doesn't become the norm as it will help in the demise of the Wii U. Nintendo NEEDS third party publishers to release games for the Wii U that the Playstation and Xbox will get.

The game is barely three days old and already I'm hooked. I would have never thought I would be saying this if you asked me two weeks ago. But here I am, playing on my breaks, playing at night, and playing in the morning. I'm captivated in this world of monster hunting.

This is my first monster hunting game. That being said, I regret not getting into this series earlier. The game is very fun and the quest setup is very fun. You start off as a monster hunter known by all in your tribe you live with. They all help you in one way or another but once you leave town, you are on your own. It starts off with a rather small area for you to explore. Very easy quests are available and just getting to know the controls is the trick. I would highly recommend using the Circle Pad Pro. Using the D-Pad to control the camera is the worst part of the game. I can get by this by using the L button but I can see where the Circle Pad Pro would help this game out greatly.

Other than that, there is little to complain about this game. They use the streetpass functionality of the 3DS very well and I love the customization of the character and gear. I'm excited to get better gear so I can take on more monsters. There is a guild card you have that when you streetpass, it will be passed on along with your character, stats, gear, and monster hunts. I have yet to slay my first featured monster but I know it will be soon.

There are a lot of cool features, quests, and monsters in this game. I look forward to playing and would recommend this game to anyone. Happy Hunting.

Released back in 1990, I remember renting (yes, renting) this game week after week from my local video rental store, which has since closed. *tear*

My personal favorite in the original Megaman NES games, you play as Megaman and keeping with the previous games style, are sent to battle evil robots. This time around however, Dr. Wily and Dr. Light tag team to keep peace on Earth. However, something goes awry and Megaman has to save the day.

You can't go wrong with this game. If you are a Megaman fan and have a 3DS, this is a must have! You can pick up this title on Nintendo's eShop today for $4.99.