Games vs. Reality

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the topic of video games, even though I remember playing Final Fantasy X several times when I was younger. In taking this class, I'm keeping my mind open to learning about our topics from censorship to game addiction, however, I'm most interested in the sociological impact video games have on culture and its place in the world.

Today, our lecturer Kevin asked the question, 'How often are video games mentioned in a positive context?', during the discussion about the way video games are almost always mentioned in a negative context. In my opinion, there is definitely truth in the idea that video games cause violence in children's behaviour, in the way that it makes killing/murdering and occasionally rape and other violent acts appear comparably more trivial than it is in real life. There is a chance that game-addicted digital natives may internalise these values and cause them to act in dangerous ways in real life. On the other hand, violence in video games could also help prevent violence in real life if it is used as a means of emotional outlet for the player and if they understand that it is only a game and that certain behaviour is unacceptable in reality. It can also provide helpful skills such as quick reactions and strategic thinking, but not to teach morals as so often, agency as a character within a video game translates into real life.

It is normal for the aim of many games to be to kill, however I have been shocked on occasions I've heard of games where the aim is to kill and rape women, too. In my opinion, video game producers should definitely make sure that children don't have access to these types of games and don't internalise the values expressed in them, and that is also parents' responsibilities. On the other hand, the Flynn Effect is one positive thing possibly coming from video games - it is the increase in average IQ all over the world over time. One of the explanations for this is the increase of use, and improvement, of technology - more and more children are born as 'digital natives', being nurtured into this environment from birth. However, I remember being shocked at this woman who killed her baby because of a game last year, and crazy incidents like these explain why I believe that, in the world of video games, the most important thing is for people to establish a stronger distinction between game and reality.