3. They Desensitize Players
Part of the reason many people fear video games will corrupt the minds of young people is due to the fear that the constant and graphic violence will desensitize them to real world violence. Basically, the line of thought is that if a kid chainsaws a guy enough times in Gears of War, he wont be revolted by the sight of similarly gruesome violence in real life. Yeah, it doesnt take one long to see how this train of thought falls apart. Look, violence is a part of the natural world, and is thus a part of the human experience. As a result, every form of entertainment is going to involve violence in some way, from nursery rhymes to rap music. Even Disney movies have scenes of violence that, while not explicitly graphic, are impacting in the way they are integrated with the story. This is no more different than with video games. Admittedly, the quantity of violence in many video games is higher than in other mediums, but that is simply the nature of games. Also, some games may strive for realism, but no matter how graphically detailed a gun shot to the head may be, it will never compare to the real thing. To think that it could is actually laughable. Violence in real life is physically and emotionally painful. It has consequences on all those involved. Acts of violence in video games are brief and have no context, and if they do, they are meant to convey emotion to the player, not exploit it. Despite what some may think, video games do not emulate real life in a way that a person of sound mind can get the two confused. Like books, music, and movies, they are a means of escapism and entertainment. To think otherwise is absurd.