Violence

Going back to the topic of censorship and violence, a couple of days ago I made the mistake of telling my boss, a father of four children, that there is no conclusive evidence to prove that video games make children violent. I thought that perhaps I didn’t word it succinctly enough when he looked at me weirdly then began to chuckle with a patronising smug on his face. It was then that I realised he was prone to the Hypodermic Model. When I tried to explain the difference between representational violence and actual violence he said, “Look at those guys in Columbine! The F.B.I. checked their computers and all they did was play shooting games all day! Desensitised from violence… etc., etc.” That was the only example he could think of. After more insistent attempts to warn me of the dangers of video games, he left me with what he thought was a really good question, “You tell me this, then: If video games don’t make children violent, why do they censor them…?”I couldn’t really think of much else to say other than it was because all texts must be censored in an attempt to ‘preserve children’s innocence’.

My boss told me that video games made his son more violent. He explained that, after playing Call of Duty, his son had grown an interest in water pistols and Nerf Guns. Water pistols and Nerf Guns are not going to kill you. Most children know the difference!