Saturday 4 October, 2008

While playing Grand Theft Auto III San Andreas today I was shocked by the violence and carnage that I witnessed while playing. I feel like the game makers went way over the top with the violence. It was not enough just to hit a person with the car but they wanted you to shoot them, or beat them to death. The more gruesome the player is the more points you score. What does that teach our society? Our kids? That violence is acceptabe, and you get rewarded for it? This game sets a horrible example for everyone. It promotes and encourages violence. I realize that the game has a rating on it, which is supposed to prevent it from getting in the hands of young kids, but can a rating really do that? And what about the effect of the game on adults? After people see something so many times it starts to become normal. Is beating a person to death normal? I don't think so. By putting this violence in the video the game makers are essentially saying that certain type of violence is allowed in certain places. I completely disagree with that. I think this type of violence, any type of violence really, does not belong anywhere in our society. Including in a virtual world. I am shocked that there is market for this. I just do not understand why the game makers needed to allow so much violence in the game. Who wants that anyway? I realize that I am not a frequent video game player and do not understand all the aspects of the game, but i just cannot imagine that anyone wants to see this much violence. I realize that the game does not force you to be so gruesome, but when I play a game I play it to win. And the way to win this game is to be as gruesome as possible. Bottom line, this game goes above and beyond the necessary limits of violence. It promotes and encourages a large amount of violence.

Do you think that fictional violence will become normal, or actual violence? Shooting someone in a game is far different from shooting someone in real life. Although I think your statements on the over use of violence is right on. Especially when you talk about how the game can have affects on children, because children do in fact imitate what they see, that is how they learn.