The Misconception of Violence in Video Games With all of the school shootings and youth violence that is so heavily publicized, it seems as if technology is destroying the morals and mindsets of children. Most of this violent, erratic behavior is blamed on the existence of violence in video games and other forms of interactive media. Parents are desperate to offload blame and shame onto anything but themselves, as it is human nature to do so. Many claim that the violence featured to provide entertainment or enrich a narrative in video games happens to desensitize their children to real world violence. However, there is a very clear distinction between real world violence and fake “play” violence; video games do not kill people. The presence …show more content…
There are many other factors that are completely overlooked when these tragedies occur. People see that the killer has played these video games featuring violence and immediately assume that is the cause. Instead of placing the blame on the individuals responsible, it goes to media content that they were exposed to. However, it should be accepted that “Video games, music, television, movies, novels, and Shakespeare don’t cause violence. Mental illness, psychological abuse, and physical abuse cause violence.” (Bezio 3) Although the violence in video games makes children aware that violence exists, the matter of whether it causes them to feel inclined to reciprocate that behavior is due to the individual child’s chemistry and experiences. A child that has mental disorders and has been physically abused is more likely to have violent, aggressive tendencies than a normal child. The flaw with this issue of violence in video games being reciprocated among youth is not the fault of the video games; the youth and their parents are in the wrong. Humanity, as beings of higher order and functioning, are expected to use logic and reason to lay judgement on their decisions. Children, while young, are still human, and are still required to have a sense of ethics, which in fact instilled upon by the parents. However, this does not mean that parent’s avert the blame