Call of Duty. Popular video game series, multi-player
favorite and now something that drives kids toward violence? Since the tragedy
at Sandy Hook, video games like Call of Duty have been under fire by parents
and law makers alike. Apparently violent
video games cause kids to be more violent. This argument has been brought up
many a time. Whether it was about television shows or the internet, people
insist something is influencing kids. I am here to say that is downright
false. If the naysayers’ logic is right,
all kids who play violent video games will be prone to violence. Using that
logic, I can say that the following is
true:
- · People who play Pac-Man will be prone to pop pills.
- · People who play Pokémon will be prone to trying to capture animals.
- · People who play Street Fighter will be prone to fighting other people.
- · People who play Mario will be prone to becoming a plumber and jumping on turtles.
See how stupid that sounds? This
whole video game issue has been around for years. From Mortal Kombat being too
violent for arcades to Grand Theft Auto glorifying robbery and murder, all of
it is just uncalled for hysteria. I play
video games all the time. I have never had the urge to go around breathing fire
on sheep after play Spyro. I had parents who taught me right from wrong. And that’s the issue. Parents. They are “too
busy” to watch their kids, so they let video games do it for them. How can the
kids know that what they see in video games is wrong when their parents won’t tell
them. Parents need to tell their kids what
is right. Not just throw them in front of the television and expect them to learn
morals. I love Family Guy, but I would not let my kids watch it to learn
morals. That’s just stupid. And video games aren’t a good babysitter either.
Can we just agree to not let kids play violent video games and obey the rating
system? Is there for a reason! And let’s
be honest with ourselves here, how many of these young parents against video games
played them while they were kids? A good number. Their parents probably wouldn’t
let them play Frogger at the arcade because it was too violent. So they should
not be talking. Plus what’s the big deal
with video games in general? They are excellent at teaching problem solving,
hand-eye coordination and teamwork. In fact, a teacher in the Mid-West uses
Minecraft to teach kids all three of those with outstanding results!
For
those of you that say it’s not the parents’ fault. The other day I was in the car with my aunt
as she was taking me to work. We were behind a bus full of elementary school
kids. As we got closer, I noticed some
girls in the back of the bus were making sexually explicit hand gestures at me
and my aunt. Elementary school age girls. Sexual hand gestures. Do you think their parents taught them that?
You can see my point now I hope. Video games aren’t babysitters. They’re
entertainment.
No comments:
Post a Comment