Do Video Games Kill?

Look out, I think that video game is trying to kill you. Oh no, it's alright, my mistake.

There has been a long running debate in the US about violence in video games and its affects on youth. Unfortunately, those people who have power and money and live a life outside of the ghettos cannot understand how or why people are violent in their means for day to day survival. So, what they do, is they try to justify their misunderstanding by creating something which will take the blame for the crime. They create a fall guy or a patsy. Video games are blamed for violence in the same way that Lee Harvey Oswald was blamed for the assassination of JFK.

As a means to make this justification sound official all sorts of studies and reports have been developed and written to substantiate their point of view. Those people who push this agenda pick out several games, such as postal and Grand Theft Auto, and make this tiny selection appear to be indicative of the entire industry (it's funny how they completely ignore the Nintendo range of products in these studies).

ign.com are now reporting that there is a new study which has been released by a sociologist which says that there is no relation between increased violence and video games because there is not increased violence in youth. In fact, the report says that, "Sternheimer cited as evidence of this trend the fact that as annual sales of videogames and accessories has risen to over $10 billion, juvenile homicide arrests have fallen 77%. According to Sternheimer, students now have a chance of less than 7 in 10 million of being killed by school-related violence." (To read the full article click here)

The article goes on to say, "Like many have argued before her, Sterheimer contends that videogame violence has been used as a straw man argument. Rather than paying attention to more pertinent issues that might nurture violence -- such as poverty, instability, domestic abuse, unemployment, and mental illness -- reactionaries have been directing their ire at the games industry, effectively exonerating these other factors of their impact."

Sounds like a voice of reason, but how will that go down in the states when making front page news is more important than stating the truth or a logical argument at least?

This report will not stifle debate. As those people who push a certain agenda will find the "scientific" information they need elsewhere to support their point of view. However, the thing that strikes me is that we live in a civilization which always finds a way to make excuses for poor behaviour rather than accepting responsibility for it.