Video games seem to be the new whipping boy for all the ills of society lately. They’ve been blamed for crime, low test scores, overweight kids, bad nutrition, breakups of marriages, breakups of boyfriends/girlfriends, and just about everything except anything good.
What happened? Most of us can pinpoint it to Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game where some X-rated scenes were unlocked with an unauthorized mod. After that, the you-know-what hit the fan. Ever since then, there has been an outcry from politicians, parents, concerned citizens and even the AMA about the evils of what we all hold dear to our hearts.
Video games, it turns out, is the perfect scapegoat. Kids aren’t talking to their parents anymore? It must be video games (and not because parents haven’t spent more than 15 continuous minutes with their kid for years.)
Lots of crime and shooting in the streets? It must be video games (and not because our society has decided that proper values shouldn’t be taught in schools or gun regulation needs to be reformed.)
People getting fat? It must be video games (and not because people don’t give a hoot about healthy eating habits. Did you really have to eat three slices of pie last night?)
So are video games really at the root of evil in modern society? No…people are. As long as we live in a free society, there will always be those who take their lead for their violent actions from movies, music, books and video games.
It’s not legislation that will turn everything around; you have to turn the individual around first.
Frank Ling
GN Senior Editor
