The recent Connecticut school killings have brought up the argument about violence in video games once again. Whenever a shooting happens in a school (Columbine, Connecticut), video games are to blame. I completely disagree that video games cause such violent behavior. Why? I think that video games are an evolving form of media, like film or art. Daniel Floyd said in his video Video Games and Facing Controversy that "[Controversy] isn't fun, but it's all part of a medium's journey to respectability". Most video games on shelves today are about assassinating, fighting, and shooting things. Violence completely crowds the films of today, but are rarely blamed for the violent actions that are ever-present in our society today. " Countless filmmakers, novelists, and artists have tackled many difficult subjects before and have been celebrated for it. Topics like war(Apocalypse Now), genocide(Schindler's List), sexuality(American Beauty), hatred(To Kill a Mockingbird), and many of these pieces are critically acclaimed..They dare to explore humanity's dark side, the ugly realities of the human condition. They venture into uncomfortable territory and find the truth hidden within. This is the stuff art is made from".
Parents who don't understand the medium and won't take the time to become informed believe that violent video games are the cause of such violent events and that video games should stop being made all together. Parents need to take initiative and learn about the games their kids are playing and the ratings that go with them. I don't believe that video games cause people to commit murders, but If they did, then the parents should be to blame, not the kids.
