Video Game Violence The Myth
There has always been this huge myth surrounding the coalition between video games and violent acts committed by the people who play them. As a huge fan of video gaming from an early age (I remember playing the C64 when dinosaurs ruled the earth) I have always been exposed to their fictional world of entertainment. Around this same time I was exposed to violent films such as The Terminator and Robocop films that carried 18 certificates at that time. Watching them my grandmother was always quick to point out that the action was fantasy and that such things never happened in real life.
Because of this I was able very clearly to differentiate the differences between reality and fiction. My nan was somewhat old school in her parenting ways however she had managed to adapt herself to the current way of thinking rather than be stuck in the 1930's. She taught me right from wrong, selfishness from selflessness. I understood what was the right thing to do and what was the wrong thing to do, I understood that the characters in games and TV were nothing more than actors created to entertain.
It is due to those parenting skills that I have become the responsible sensible adult I am today, I have my hero's and favorite characters but I know they are fictional creations for my entertainment.
Some people it seems, children and adults are not able to differentiate between the worlds of reality and fiction, to them the worlds merge as one and then horrifying atrocities are committed. These people were psychologically disturbed or due to bad parenting were not shown that video games are fiction. Maybe their parents left them in their rooms to play all day and never took an active role in their child's development. Maybe they used video games as a substitute for a babysitter and allowed their children to have delusions of grandeur.
Whatever the reason, parents cannot blame video games for their own failings and ignorance. They must take responsibility for the content their children are exposed to, don't blame the TV if you have the means to change the channel.
In conclusion: There is no credible scientific evidence to suggest playing video games changes your mental state, or causes psychological trauma or mental instability.
Because of this I was able very clearly to differentiate the differences between reality and fiction. My nan was somewhat old school in her parenting ways however she had managed to adapt herself to the current way of thinking rather than be stuck in the 1930's. She taught me right from wrong, selfishness from selflessness. I understood what was the right thing to do and what was the wrong thing to do, I understood that the characters in games and TV were nothing more than actors created to entertain.
It is due to those parenting skills that I have become the responsible sensible adult I am today, I have my hero's and favorite characters but I know they are fictional creations for my entertainment.
Some people it seems, children and adults are not able to differentiate between the worlds of reality and fiction, to them the worlds merge as one and then horrifying atrocities are committed. These people were psychologically disturbed or due to bad parenting were not shown that video games are fiction. Maybe their parents left them in their rooms to play all day and never took an active role in their child's development. Maybe they used video games as a substitute for a babysitter and allowed their children to have delusions of grandeur.
Whatever the reason, parents cannot blame video games for their own failings and ignorance. They must take responsibility for the content their children are exposed to, don't blame the TV if you have the means to change the channel.
In conclusion: There is no credible scientific evidence to suggest playing video games changes your mental state, or causes psychological trauma or mental instability.
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