Violent Games Essay Example for Free

Violent Games Essay In the process of media reform and editing, is it appropriate to limit video games? Nonthreatening things like games should not be banned by our fears, but we should look at the facts. Violent video games should not be banned for their content because no means of art or communication should be banned. Our first amendment is our sacred rite of passage that should be upheld with all of our power. We can benefit from these works of art like we can from a song or picture because of their substantial meaning and portrayal of our own lives. These video games are not even truly bad for your health, they can actually improve it. As Mr. Jacob Sullum said, â€Å"Depictions of violence, unlike obscenity, have played a longstanding and celebrated role in expression properly consumed by minors, from Greek myths to the Bible to Star Wars and Harry Potter. Violent tendencies are an issue in the young mind, and certain people would say that seeing these violent images in video games triggers these feelings and makes their children become irrational. Zackary Morzaini stated in his study that â€Å"violent video games trigger the same response as violent passages in the bible. † So why ban these images. It is up to the individual to react to these violent messages. The vast majority of gamers does not emulate the â€Å"homie-G† of grand theft auto, but instead understand the social norms in video games are Peterson 2 not the social norms of real life. The game merely implies violence. For example, Call of Duty is a demonstration of warfare not unlike chess and battleship has for years. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. † That is these United States’ Bill of Right’s first amendment, and never shall it be silenced. Our forefathers made this law so no form of media would ever be banished by harsh critics. Our arts shall be protected and regarded in the highest degree, and video games shall be no exception. With their version of interactive storytelling they are no less valuable than movies or music. Art can never be banned under America because we provide our people with the freedom they deserve. What is a little blood between friends? Cooperative and multiplayer games have recently been added in huge numbers to classic games such as the Call of Duty franchise and the Dead Space franchise. These games are violent to the extreme—specifically Dead Space. In these games you have to cut off limbs and kill anyone opposing you so you and your teammates may succeed. In a study co-written by David Ewoldsen he states that â€Å"We think that cooperating with another human overrides the effects of playing a violent videogame. This means that even violence is counteracted by jolly cooperation. This is not only a way to spend time with friends shooting zombies, but also a time for families to come together. Games like Super Mario and Wii Sports are great examples of fun games from ages 8-80. This allows us to Peterson 3 come together, so rather than sitting and playing Monopoly for fifteen hours straight, you can just pop in Wii Sports and start playing virtual tennis. The responsibility of handling violent images does not go into the hands of Electronic Arts (EA), but some of the responsibility falls on the parents. When children play games they might not be ready for the graphic images presented, but our friends at the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) give us ratings to represent these and sometimes children will pick up a game because it’s fun. They do not however, check that it is rated for players seventeen and up and that a ten year old should not have to see those things just yet. Parents do actually do monitor some of these things according to a study for the article Video Games Unplugged, but some is not enough. It is up to the parent to judge whether or not their child is ready for a graphic game, not EA’s. Critics of video game violence say that games are not mandated enough. They also say that violence is too prevalent in them and it is too easy for children to get their hands on them. So, to stop this, we must put more restrictions on video games. Video games are not lawless. ESRB not only rates these games, but requires you to be a certain age to purchase these games depending on their rating. For example, Call of Duty Black Ops Two was rated M for Mature, so you must be 17 or older to purchase the game. Violence was another issue they claim, but these works of art are no different than others. When the movie Zero Dark Thirty came out, the media’s first reaction was not â€Å"This movie is an awful Peterson 4 influence to our children†, but instead gave it praise. Violence has always been important to our culture, from gladiators to Dexter, and video games have the same effect. Art is divinity. Art is beauty. Art is alive. Music and pictures have always entertained us and should never be banned. Video games are a form of storytelling, a way to see beautiful things and witness the greatest sagas. Video games should not be banned because they contribute so much to us and are beautiful in their own right. Violence in video games is no different that violence in 300, but violence in video games have to fight for their rights. We should all support the rights of our arts and support video games. Peterson 5 Works Cited Computer games unplugged. Computer Graphics World Feb. -Mar. 2012: 2. General OneFile. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Sullum, Jacob. The terminator vs. the constitution: Californias video game law does violence to the First Amendment. Reason Feb. 2011: 60. General OneFile. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Johnson, Ted. VP urges game study: Biden: violence link should be probed. Daily Variety 25 Jan. 2013: 7+. General OneFile. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Sanders, Laura. Gamers crave sense of control: feeling competent matters more than violence, blood. Science News 14 Feb. 2009: 14. General OneFile. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.