The terrain is rugged; palmetto scrubs and thick tall grass surround me. I use it to conceal my movement. I move carefully to not reveal myself, sneaking under the trees and crawling through the brush. The enemy is all around. I feel as if I am being hunted, but I must remember that I am the hunter. I see two enemy soldiers walking. I slowly pull out my rifle and push my eye close to the scope. I aim at the soldier walking in back so when he falls, the person in front wont see it. I squeeze the trigger, and one man falls to the ground. There is no need to confirm the kill as the spray of blood can be seen from over 200 yards away. Now I lay my cheek on my gun once more, squinting my eye to see the other soldier, who is bewildered at what happened. By the time he turns to see his dead comrade, he is struck by the menacing blow of my second bullet and falls to lie next to his buddy forever.
I see a clean pathway for me to take into the village; I take it. I draw my sidearm, a Beretta m9, standard military issue. Blasting away at everyone who decides to come out of their huts, I get into the center of the village and it seems very peaceful. Behind me, someone pops out and shoots the back of my head. At that same instant, I remember my other mission: my mother reminds me, I must go to Publix to retrieve dinner, but I know when I get back, I will be able to spawn again at a different level in the game. The game is over, and my mindset changes back to reality.
Games such as Halo, Counter-Strike, Battlefield 2, The Chronicles of Riddick, Half-Life, Joint Task Force, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty and Command and Conquer are all games that can be played online with any person in the world. These games involve killing and being killed. Whether or not I am shooting it out with the covenant in Halo or on the Russian frontlines while they invade German occupied territory in Call of Duty, I can immerse myself in these worlds and have a great time. These games are for entertainment only. Video games, books or movies are not justification for violence against others.
Some might think, what are game companies doing releasing these horrible games? Research done by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shows the average age of a video game player is 33 years old. Modern video game companies are not trying to get teenagers to buy games, as much as older gamers, because older gamers have a steady income and can afford it at $60 per game. All major video game companies are part of and contribute to the ESA. Statistics from the ESA show that violence, especially in young people, has steadily decreased since 1990, even though violent games have been steadily increasing and becoming more popular. Many games, which include far more violence, are sold in foreign markets. Even though this is true, the violent crimes in these countries are considerably lower than in the U.S. Knowing this information, it is apparent that the cause of violence is established elsewhere.
Iowa State University professor of psychology, Craig Anderson, teamed up with assistant professor, Douglas Gentile, and doctoral student, Katherine Buckley. They produced many studies showing and proving that violent video games cause psychological desensitization. When someone becomes desensitized, they do not feel the same way after seeing a violent act, and it appears to them as something normal. People lose all realization when video games desensitize them. This makes it hard for people to see the real consequences of a situation, but this does not cause them to do any illegal acts.
In the world we live, it has become easier to blame others for our mistakes, and blaming a game for causing someone to commit a violent act is no exception to the nonsense. Playing video games and being a dedicated gamer does not make someone a serial killer or even a violent person in general. The click of a mouse is very different from the pull of a trigger. Blaming a video game for killing someone is like blaming a pencil for misspelling a word.
