There is a show on television, a very good show, that you may have seen or heard of called Criminal Minds. It deals with a group of CSI profilers who have to get into the minds of criminals, most often murderers, in order to catch them. This show is not just dark in tone; it's pitch black. But that is the nature of the beast, as the bad men are often very sick and twisted. The sad thing is that the show is very true to life, in fact some of the episodes are torn right from current happenings.
Anyone who has played video games for any length of times knows of the forever ongoing debate over whether video game violence causes the player to become violent himself. In 99.9 percent of the many acts of violence carried out every day in the world, video games are not a factor. In the very few cases that playing video games can be factored in, there are other forces at work and violent video games is just one of the reasons a person hurts or kills others.
Myself, I play and enjoy very violent games, yet cannot even think of hurting or killing another living being, animal, or even insect. Yet I find it cathartic to shoot 'people' on the screen, I enjoy it, for the most part. There are two factors that make this so:I am shooting/killing 'bad guys', and those 'bad guys' are basically light on a screen, put there soley to be destroyed. They are bad men who have done bad deeds, and you are the judge, jury, and executioner. I hold this same reasoning for action/horror movies, two genres I enjoy. None of the bloodshed and death is real, it is simply special effects and acting. The dead men get up after the director yells "cut", and wander over to catering to have some lunch.
The thing is, the urge to kill is in all human beings, me included. Most of the human race can supress it, as any civilized person should be able to do. Yet, it is there, or why else would violent video games be so popular. Right now wargames are very popular, which basically boils down to one 'soldier' killing another, for (insert reason). Hundreds of fake men and women die, and it is enjoyable. Unlike real war, there is no real pain, no families losing loved ones. No death.
Make no mistake, I am for violence in games. These games are for adults, not children, and even then, most would be fools to believe that even kids can see the wrongness of killing a REAL human being, as long as they are taught that by parents. Yes, it comes down to parenting, always has. Violence and death is part of life, sadly, and kids should never be coddled against it. If they watch the news, they will learn the world is a dark, frustrating place, and very unfair.
A dark place, yes, but one learns to deal with it. Videogames help. Anger and frustration can be channeled into 'killing' bad guys that are not real. Death is unfair, it can happen to anyone, at any time. Death has no real meaning in videogames, one can magically come back to life and the bad guys never really stay dead.
Videogames are a form of fantasy, of escapism. It can help people deal with the darkness deep in ones soul. It is cathartic. One can shoot apart or tear apart an enemy, and perhaps even feel good about it. No one has died, no real blood is shed.
Society will always have to deal with those who have allowed the darkness to overtake them and allowed them to commit terrible acts, sadly. Shows like Criminal Minds (I will once again re-iterate:this is very good, albeit a very dark series) will continue to show those who have gone down a dark, dark path. Why do they do these men do such bad things? I am always wondering this, appalled and fixated at the same time. My wife especially loves the show. She has a psych degree and might make a good profiler herself.
Maybe some men are born twisted, or grow up that way. I don't know. All of us have that dark seed in us. Some let that grow. Most let it wither and die.
We kill in videogames, knowing it is not real, and acts performed in games will not translate to real life. It is just a game, after all. Just a game.
Isn't it?
