I believe that the amount of violence in video games today should be diminished tremendously. The number of adolescents being exposed to these types of games are growing every day.
One could blame the parent for allowing the child to play these extremely violent games, but when do we hold the game creators and the government accountable for allowing things of this nature to surface the shelves.
I believe that when a child is exposed to this at a young age, he/she, is more prone to being violent or living a life of crime when they are older. Games such as Grand Theft Auto, where you can roam the streets killing and carjacking people, as well as having sex with prostitutes, is way too vivid and violent for any teen to play. Is this the type of behavior that society wants to portray to kids?
I also think that video games are a great influencer on children today, because parents are lazy. Today, parents use video games as a baby sitter, something that keeps their kids quiet while they get work done in peace. Many are idly sending their kids into their rooms to play games where characters are blowing the heads off one another with ridiculously sized guns. I may sound a bit drastic in saying we are helping raise the next murders, but am I really?
Studies have shown that these games have a negative affect on people and promote violence. Some people aren’t able to decipher between what is fictional and what is reality. A gamer may start to perceive their gaming world as reality, which makes the world a lot less safer for the rest of us.
I believe that we need to start with the censorship laws and continue to educate parents on the negative effects that these games have on children. Take your child outside and play, good old fashion fun. Allowing them to sit in front of the television for countless hours is not only promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, which could lead to obesity, but depending on the game, could be promoting a violent life of crime.
Stanzza Patterson 