[Vision2020] Video games

[Ted Moffett]

All:

The entertainment industry promotes, and make huge profit off, incredible 
violence in FILMS that we have come to accept as the "norm."  It seems, in 
fact, we have become numbed to violence in film, therefore the industry has 
to keep pushing the boundaries of graphic violence to "shock" the audience.

Why should violent video games should cause such an uproar, when well 
respected movie stars, and the films they are in, depict horrific violence, 
that millions of children watch and think is "cool?"

I won't list films and actors, and describe the violence in each film.  The 
list would be long, and we all know about the killing and sadism commonly 
depicted on the big screen.

But one very popular movie star and film series stands out for violence and 
success:  Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Terminator movie series.

So you are concerned about video games that feature violence against police? 
  Then what about the famous line "I'll be back!" from the first Terminator 
movie, which is spoken in a police station.  When Arnold comes back, he 
takes the whole police station apart, killing I don't know how many police.

Terminator 2 has some horrific scenes of violence that could earn the movie 
an X rating for violence.  Yet in our kind and loving and compassionate 
culture, we apparently think scenes of lovemaking with the sight of a naked 
human body to be more of a moral crisis then depicting people graphically 
sliced and diced in cold blooded murder, blood all over the place, etc.

So why is the latest Terminator movie in the series now on the big screen, 
apparently without protest for the incredible violence, definitely viewed by 
millions of children, the movie series used to make millions?  Yet on V2020 
some object to violent video games?

You could argue that film is understood to be fantasy, while video games are 
more involving, blurring  the line between fantasy and reality.  There are 
studies, however, that have shown that children watching violent content 
from films or TV will encourage violent conduct in the children later on.  
So this argument is problematic.  And many children do understand that a 
video game is fantasy, anyways.

If I wanted to lessen violence in society connected to "entertainment" I 
would first insist on less violence in films.  Video game violence is just 
an extension of what has become commonplace on the big screen, seen by 
millions of children with an eerie acceptance by parents that this is the 
"norm."

When a movie star, Schwarzenegger, who has made millions off graphic 
violence in films, can be seriously considered to run for governor of 
California... it would seem the effort to stop children from being exposed 
to violent entertainment via movie heros who promote films with violence as 
"cool," is being undermined!

And to expect parents to do the job of monitoring their children for 
exposure to violent media, parents have a hard road ahead.  The aggressive 
marketing to children in the USA by corporations is a powerful force that 
penetrates nearly every aspect of life.  And violence sells, plain and 
simple.  A family would nearly have to lead the life of a recluse to stop 
children from being exposed to violent content media.  For example, portable 
hand held video games are popular, and any child with such a device loaded 
with a violent video game could share the game with another child.

But the real questions deal with the fact that our culture actually 
encourages and endorses many forms of violent conduct.  And blaming violent 
media for these problems is just attacking symptoms, not the fundamental 
causes.

Ted

>From: "Saundra Lund" <sslund@moscow.com>
>To: "'Shawn Clabough'" <shawnc@outtrack.com>, <vision2020@moscow.com>
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Video games
>Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 12:02:33 -0700
>
>I absolutely agree.
>
>It's a tough question, for sure.  Being about as much of a bleeding
>heart liberal :-) as possible, I'm against banning.  However, I'm a big
>advocate of personal responsibility:  kids need to be responsible,
>parents need to be responsible, artists need to be responsible,
>corporations need to be responsible, retailers need to be responsible,
>and communities need to be responsible.
>
>I think a good start is for everyone (including artists, manufacturers,
>and retailers) to remember that the almighty dollar isn't the "be all &
>end all."
>
>The Daily News had an article recently about video games, and I was
>impressed & heartened to read that some kids are just saying "No" to
>violent games.
>
>But, for the kids who aren't, it's a very scary thing, I think.  And, it
>seems to me that for some, making money rather than thinking of the
>effects of such vile trash (subjective, I know) on kids is more
>important.
>
>Sad, sad state of affairs, I think, but nothing new.
>
>
>Saundra Lund
>Moscow, Idaho
>
>The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to
>do nothing.
>Edmund Burke
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]
>On Behalf Of Shawn Clabough
>Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 10:12 AM
>To: 'vision2020@moscow.com'
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Video games
>
>
>The tough part of this equation is where the parents that should be
>"parenting" their child away from this material don't care enough to,
>then that child goes out and does something to a child that was actively
>"parented".  How can society prevent this proactively?
>
>An active parent and gamer,
>Shawn Clabough
>

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