How to Deal with Violent Video Games

Video games have progressed through seven generations with the dawn of the home computers and arcades to the nearly realistic looking games of today. Sex, violence and everything else that makes a game suggestive are also looking more realistic. Suggestive themes are not something that have been oppressed ever since various forms of media have made their way into our homes; movies and television continue to grow strong with violent and sexual content. It doesn't bother me to play a game with excessive violence such as the Grand Theft Auto games, and I personally don't see the harm in a couple of younger teenagers and even preteens playing the game either, but for some reason these type of games are to blame for real world incidents.

Hardcore and casual gamers respond with the same complaint, not enough parenting, and that is one of the main factors, but I'll cover that as we go. Now, most gamers have a good idea of who's been ragging on video games for some time now, Hillary Clinton and Jack Thompson. Thompson has been dubbed a strict video game critic for a while, and I don't mean a critic that reviews games for the sake of informing other gamers. One of his biggest moves was suing Rockstar for their Grand Theft Auto series. This man is disliked by just about every person associated to the industry including the gamers, but who else has been put to blame, Mom and Dad.

Yes, parenting plays a huge role in ensuring children should not be playing games with suggestive themes, but I am wondering how many gamers are actual parents. Those few parents that do play games with their kids have a good idea of what their children should and should not play. The problem is that too few parents, whether they played games with their children or not, actually know how to deal with suggestive video games. You cannot always escape from violence and sex; they will always be there on movies, television, radio, video games, and everyday life. Sometimes, children don't even need to experience violence to act it out; fighting or "playing aggressively" comes as second nature to humans.

In response to the video game related crimes that happen all over the world, I am willing to bet the media ignores other factors involving these incidents; drugs, and the more importantly stressed physical and mental condition of the assailant. Parents need to stop listening to the media and what politicians say about video games. Let me ask you this, when it comes to topic at hand, who is the expert? For those that say the politician, you're wrong. For those that say the media, it depends on if the media is actually a video game related plug. And for those that said the gamer, I'm willing to bet you might be a gamer yourself, or just have common sense. Now, I'm not separating gamers into an elitist group whose opinions yield more significance than anyone else but when you are unsure of something, you either ask an expert or research the topic yourself. We live in age of vast technology where information about almost anything you want to know is just a few clicks away yet we have parents complaining about violent video games, and blaming developers. Funny, are any of them blaming movie and television producers?

There are more factors here than what the politicians and media to tell you. For instance, the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) is a non-profit group that uses a board of experts and non gamers such as parents to play video games and experience the game for themselves, and then they survey them on what they thought about the game on terms of suggestive themes of violence, sex, and crude language. The ratings can be found on the official ESRB website, click here. Everything you need to know about the rating system and how to use it can be found on that website. In addition to the ESRB, electronic and retail stores usually and should if they do not, request ID for all M games being purchased by children and young adults. Because I'm tired of hearing gamers like me complain about poor parenting, and parents complain about bad video games I am going to conclude this article by writing up a guideline for parents that are unsure about what to do with violent video games and the children that play them. I hope these written set of helpful hints actually come into play, pun intended.

1) Do Your Homework.

Unsure of what's going on the screen while your child is frantically tapping the "A" button his controller? Ask them what the game is called and what it's all about. Do a little homework and look up the ESRB system, ask your kid what games he likes to play and what he thinks is violence, and why not even pick up the controller yourself and understand what he's playing, and why he enjoys it. Read the manuals and find out what you can do on the console itself. The consoles today have parental features on them such as the Nintendo Wii, so don't completely take the games away from little Jimmy. (No, I didn't have my games taken away as a child.)

2) Hold Their Hand in the Video Game Section.

When your kid is pointing and screaming at what they want, don't just look at the price, look at the rating; symbol on the front and details on the back, you'll know what I mean. Take a good look at the game, read the back and decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your young one. Also, if you are still stumped then ask a local electronics clerk, they should know about that stuff because they aren't doing their job if they respond with a dumbfounded look on their face.

3) Put Your 3-D Glasses On.

Whether you are a parent who has been playing video games since the Atari days, or you don't follow games in general there's something you should take notice of; virtual reality. The 7^th generation of video games is just beginning and it includes Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the Sony Playstation 3, so what you can expect are very complex games and eye-popping visuals. Violent games will become even more violent because they will be identical to some of the older Pixar films, without all the cute characters and fuzziness. What you should know here is that as games become more realistic, your child will become more immersed to the game, meaning the experience will be deep and richer making them feel as though they are the character they play as. That's always been the main deal about video games is that they are a form of escapism from everyday life, but sometimes kids can play video games and reflect those upon reality. What you should do is talk to your kids about the games they play and explain to them the difference between reality and virtual reality, simple as that. Decide whether or not these realistic looking violent games are really what you want your child to play, so long as he/she knows the difference.

4) Free Your Mind, Parents.

I cannot stress how important this last guideline is, do not always gobble up what the media tells you. Politicians are not gamers, and the media are not gamers unless the media is a gaming channel, gamers are gamers so in order to understand how games work you should play them yourself. You do not have to spend hours upon hours in front of the TV, just sit down with your child and experience what they do. In the end, it will be better for both you and your children, and hey who knows you might start to play games on a regular basis with them. The important thing is that you know what your child is playing, and that it's okay with you.