As a gamer, it isn 't unusual for me to draw inspiration from my past exploits in various virtual worlds. Many days (and dare I say weeks) of my life have been spent in these often dystopian, problem-stricken worlds. That being said, I do not regret these countless hours being expended upon the never ending search for a kidnapped princess or the recovery of a once lost artifact. Unfortunately, in recent years video games have grown to carry with them a bad reputation for encouraging violent activity within people, especially young people. While it 's understandable to associate an increase in violent activity with violent video games & media, it is apparent that the vast majority of advocates for harsher regulations on violent video games share
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The countless number of books, television shows, plays and movies that attempt to evoke deeply buried emotions within people and incite a catharsis are almost mainstream, especially in today’s era. That being said, video games are a more recent phenomenon in our mainstream media, bringing to fruition the combined powers of art and the ability to control that art. But what happens when people are allowed freedom to do as they please, even within a virtual world? Is this dangerous to their psyche, does it damage their humanity in ways that make them unfit for society? Many would argue this is indeed the case, but we must fully assess our evidence before coming to such conclusions. 1976 marked the inception of notable violence in video games when the release of “Death Race” caused massive upheaval across the country with its depiction of death: the transition of helpless victims of vehicular manslaughter into tombstones, laughably conservative by today’s standards. Almost twenty years later, in 1993, the world was introduced to two new games, one of which would become a fan favorite carrying on to release countless titles, another of which would bring to life video game violence. Mortal Kombat, the massively popular fighting game, began as a humble arcade machine on the floors of gaming dungeons everywhere. This game depicted intense & graphic (though animated) violence in a way that no other form of media has previously: gruesome deaths called “fatalities” that were animated in all of their gory glory (1). The other title, “Night Trap”, placed the player in the shoes of a special forces unit tasked with protecting the lives of a group of under-dressed women. This particular title stirred up the Senate so much that the first ever proposed federal regulations on video games were born. Since then, politicians and
The countless number of books, television shows, plays and movies that attempt to evoke deeply buried emotions within people and incite a catharsis are almost mainstream, especially in today’s era. That being said, video games are a more recent phenomenon in our mainstream media, bringing to fruition the combined powers of art and the ability to control that art. But what happens when people are allowed freedom to do as they please, even within a virtual world? Is this dangerous to their psyche, does it damage their humanity in ways that make them unfit for society? Many would argue this is indeed the case, but we must fully assess our evidence before coming to such conclusions. 1976 marked the inception of notable violence in video games when the release of “Death Race” caused massive upheaval across the country with its depiction of death: the transition of helpless victims of vehicular manslaughter into tombstones, laughably conservative by today’s standards. Almost twenty years later, in 1993, the world was introduced to two new games, one of which would become a fan favorite carrying on to release countless titles, another of which would bring to life video game violence. Mortal Kombat, the massively popular fighting game, began as a humble arcade machine on the floors of gaming dungeons everywhere. This game depicted intense & graphic (though animated) violence in a way that no other form of media has previously: gruesome deaths called “fatalities” that were animated in all of their gory glory (1). The other title, “Night Trap”, placed the player in the shoes of a special forces unit tasked with protecting the lives of a group of under-dressed women. This particular title stirred up the Senate so much that the first ever proposed federal regulations on video games were born. Since then, politicians and