Where Politics And Video Games Collide

Canary Wundaboy,

“There is evidence to suggest that violent media in general can desensitize children to violence.”

Yeah, but so what? Why is desensitization to violence a bad thing? Violence is a constant and very real part of humanity. People need to be at least somewhat desensitized to it or they won’t be able to function after reading the paper or watching the news (two things children are not legally restricted from consuming).

Desensitized to violence does not mean apathetic or prone to violence. Besides, virtual violence desensitizes to virtual violence much, much more than actual violence. Take a hardened 15-year-old GTA or Manhunt player and shoot someone dead right in front of him. I bet it will be a bigger reaction then, “Eh, I see that all the time in my video games.”

“But let’s think for a moment that some parents are not gamers, and have no idea what their kids are playing.”

That’s no excuse but okay, let’s say that. All a parent has to do is set the parental controls on the console and be done with it. But let’s say that Mom/Dad can’t be bothered to do that and Junior comes home with GTA IV later this year (pending delays).

So what? The game’s not going to hurt him.

“Let’s say that your kid falls in with a bad crowd at school, and goes down to Best Buy or Whatever you Yanks have over there and buys GTA anyway. Yes you will feel angry as a parent, but isnt the store irresponsible for selling him the game anyway??”

Nope. Retailers have no responsibility to keep things I don’t want my children to have away from them. That’s my responsibility.


Andrew Eisen