Violent Games & the Media
What a wicked web this whole story is weaving!
I don't pretend to have read up much on it, as often I find news these day's to be wholely depressing and often one sided. It's just far too demanding in a capitalist society to check out the facts and do your research on every story that interests you, but then I guess that's a problem with the system and one which should be addressed in another post!
I'd be very interested to see a professional phsycologists take on this, and I'm not talking about one paid for by any media corperation. I'm talking about a point of view which takes in all the facts and looks at all the different points of view and tries to give a conclusive insight into why the heck a 17 year old is killing a 14 yr old inthe first place!
By law he should not be playing Manhunt, this is a descresion issue however, one which I dear say does lie with the parents. Maybe it's true aswell, that more and more children/teenagers are so culturally detaced from their parents that control of the siuation could be limited. I'm genrealising wildly but it warrents a look into the education of bringing up a child, of which there is little!
I'm digressing, But I do fear that, while the game itself cannot be held acountable for the death, (if it where have found to even have influenced the killer in any way) A serious social problem needs to be adressed;
I've played the game, it's intensley brutal, I'm in my early 20's and it made me gasp at how grusome and horrifying a game can be these day's, (in fairness I'm probably not the right temperament of person to ask, I found doom and quake nerve-wracking in my early teens!!!) Why is it exciting, and for a game generating excitement out of killing (like so many before it) why is it being defended so.
Here's the point where I may appear to become close-minded and Neo-conservatist about the subject, but don't get me wrong, if a consenting adult enjoy's the game for whatever reason and it doesn't inspire violent tendancies in them to mame another then sure, enjoy it and don't feel guilty for doing so! For it is a game!
But like someone said earlier, if you are going to blame video games, blame Movies and TV. Exactly, they should be under no less scrutiny! But they are often under more at present (not backed up with evidence I agree)!
My point is coming full circle, and a bigger picture is being drawn on society (I hope
and culture here than the game itself. Banning the game and taking if off the shelves is another sign of the nanny state and I for sure am not suprised that it's caused a stir! All it achieves is (again unfounded) giving the game an almost untouchable quality, how many 11+ will be sneaking copies into schools, boasting "hey, play this it's that one which got pulled off the shelves, must be awesome" Again I'm speculating audatiously but there's something about human nature and contraband material!
This is why I think it would be interesting to get an independant review (if there is such a thing) of the situation so every day people have facts they can answer with. But I guess if that where the case we'd have no need for slanderous tabliods lending their truths, oh my I'm dreaming!
dhughes@aslanprojects.co.uk
