The video games genres that are the most popular in todays society are usually sports and action games, which for the most part is packed with violence. I personally prefer action packed gun games like Halo and Call of Duty. But what affect to these games have on gamers? Many people have argued that violent games teach violence to kids. I am the product of playing violent games as a child and I would argue that I was not affect by them. As a child, I played first person shooter games like, 007, Perfect Dark, Gundam, where the goal of the game was to kill your enemies. If any gamer would be affected by violent themes in games it would be children and as a child I was able to understand that video games were separate from real life interaction. With regards to the debate on children being affected by violence in video games, I believe it comes down to whether or not a child can differentiate video games from real life.
The effect that I have witnessed come from violent video games is that they are used as a stress relief. One of my friends actually will play a violent video game after a "bad day" and kill people in the virtual world to relieve stress. So the real question is, would I let my kids play violent games? Yes, it will be a judgment call, when I believe that they can understand the difference between real life and video games.
I agree with your point that there needs to be a distinction between the video game and real life. There simply hasn't been enough evidence provided to prove that violent video games provide a direct link to violent behavior. In nearly all circumstances there are external factors at work, other than video games, that create violent behavior.
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