Earlier today, we reported that Thailand stripped Grand Theft Auto IV off their store shelves after a teenager robbed and stabbed a cab driver. The claim was that the act of senseless violence was done because of an unhealthy fascination with the game. Recently, Don Reisinger outlined in his blog at CNet that videogames should not be the target of government, nor should this act of violence be taken as some sort of sign of their negative effects on young minds.
The fact of the matter is this: more than 99 percent of individuals playing video games don’t kill people, don’t want to reenact what they see in a video game, and don’t perform these kinds of acts. Sure, it may be difficult for the average anti-gamer to fully comprehend when they don’t hear the other side of the story, but it’s true: video games are not the root of all evil and they shouldn’t be the scapegoat when people try to make them evil.
Mr. Reisinger brings up a brilliant point. I often think about the millions of videogame deaths that have been wrought by my hands and reflect on how they may have invaded my psyche. I always find that they haven’t, because like the majority of gamers, I am able to create that very clear distinction between reality and fantasy.
What do you guys think about this issue? Are videogames at the root of the majority of today’s social issues? Are games too real and too violent? Should GTA IV have been pulled in Thailand?
