Video games come in all shapes and sizes, with tons of consoles to choose from as well as an even larger variety of game genres to choose from. One of the biggest and most popular genres of video games are shooting games - be it first person, third person, or any other form of gaming where the player is required to shoot others to achieve a goal or reach an objective. This is obviously quite a violent genre of video games, with a good majority (if not all) of them being rated "M" for mature, meaning you cannot purchase the game unless you are at least 18 years of age. These violent shooting video games spark a serious controversy within society, with many people putting the blame for real-life acts of violence on these video games.
I am strongly opposed to the idea that violent video games are the reasoning behind the tragedies such as mass shootings or any other violent gun crimes. I have many reasonings behind this, and I'll be sure to cover as many as I can think of at this moment, because it is a controversy that I feel strongly about.
http://kotaku.com/grand-theft-auto-blamed-after-eight-year-old-shoots-gra-1201375715
Above is an article about an eight year old boy who shot his primary caretaker, his grandmother, dead in their trailer park home in Louisiana. After finding out that the boy had been playing the video game Grand Theft Auto IV just moments before finding and shooting the gun, the media went crazy over it and instantly blamed the game for the violent behavior. There are so many things wrong with this picture. First of all, why does the kid have access to a loaded firearm in the first place? That's the first major problem. Secondly, although this woman is his grandmother and is quite old, I still don't see why the eight year old was left unsupervised to the point where he can play these violent video games and play with a gun. Also, if the media is so upset over the violent actions these games are causing, why are we letting these retailers sell the games to such a young audience in the first place? The game Grand Theft Auto IV is not purchasable unless you are at least 18 years old. That is over double the young boy's age. Sure, you can easily get around an age limit by having your parents or someone else above the required age to purchase the game for you, but these older consumers should be forewarned as of what the game's content includes if they don't already know. Even still, the game is named after a crime related to stealing an automobile, which should already raise some flags if you're trying to be a responsible caretaker. There are plenty of factors here that prove that the boy playing the game did not provoke him to shoot the gun at his grandmother.
Now, the above situation involved that of a young, naive child who, for the sake of argument, might not have known better or even known what he was doing. It's highly likely, more likely than for the game to be literally telling him what to do (even still - you don't shoot your grandmother in Grand Theft Auto). Back to the topic, there are plenty of violent occurrences out there performed by older individuals that who are more responsible and old enough to purchase these violent video games. This is where the topic gets even more controversial, with the media saying that there are underlying problems within the individuals such as the individual being mentally unstable. THIS would be the main cause behind the gun violence. This alone would explain all of the actions any shooter involved in a mass shooting would do. Violent video games are just a part of entertainment. I have been involved with violent video games ever since I got an XBOX - and I admit that for a couple of those years I was under the age of 18. Call of Duty - one of the world's largest first-person shooter franchises, has been my favorite series of video games to play for years now - and not once I have ever gotten the urge to go out and shoot some random people or join the military because I think I'm experienced with a gun. I've had hands-on experience with a pistol before at a shooting range. Between the preparation required, the recoil of the gun itself, and the feel and sounds of the gun - I would definitely not be an experienced gun handler in any situation, regardless of all the years of "simulating" a shooting game.
I understand that this post may be a bit hectic and all over the place, and may not cover the entire content of the persuasive gaming industry. However, I really feel like this is a topic that gets an over-abundance of attention from the media for the wrong reasons. Violent video games are not the underlying causes behind mass shootings. It's a combination of irresponsibility, poor parenting, and possibly derived from any sort of disabilities. If a video game - something that is not even close to being real - can push you to want to do thing as horrible as shooting people for no reason or running people over with a stolen car - there's something more to it that is unique to the individual. This is coming from a gamer, someone who has grown up with video games for a good majority of his life, a gamer who is very experienced in shooting/violent video games - but in no way is experienced to associated with real life violence.
Finally, I'd like to end with a poll from FOX news regarding violent video games. When non-media have a say, it looks more like this:
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