Video Games A Contemporary Scapegoat - 2374 Words

From character to character, the brutal kills range from ripping out spines to slicing the opponents straight in half to chopping off foes arms. They were all just obeying the thunderous voice rumbling, Finish him! This is Mortal Kombat – one of, if not the, most popular fighting game franchises ever created. At its conception in 1992, it was hit with a hard wall of controversy for its heavy use of gore and the general fear it would influence children to reenact these so-called â€Å"fatalities† in real life. Ever since the 1970s, man was finally able to interact with the screen, creating a universe written in ones and zeros. However, does the screen speak back to us, and cause effects outside of the console? Though video games have widely†¦show more content†¦Even with the common shooter profile of â€Å"young male, suicidal, and depressed,† there are too many false positives. There is, nor will there ever be, a way to certainly predict a shooting. As a society, we just try to endlessly blame other causes, while, in fact, we just need to stand up and take responsibility. The game industry will not outright censor itself over what those with damaged personas would do. Now, violence in games does not just exist for the sake of bloodshed. Violence in games is not any worse than that founds in other forms of media such as movies, music, and television. Ever since the hunter-gatherer days, humanity has been partially hardwired to crave violence. From gladiator fights to public executions, people have always flocked to the scene of the carnage. Admittedly, a normal citizen nowadays would be much more able to access violence at his or her fingertips – turn on the radio, and Jay-Z blasts on the Top 40, rapping about Kurt Cobain’s suicide. Power on the television and the entire wedding congregation is massacred on Game of Thrones. Head to the theaters, and they will be advertising Hunger Games: Catching Fire, a movie markete d the PG-13 audience about twelve teenagers fighting to the death for the entertainment of the country. Why should video games be treated any differently? On September 20th, 2013, Grand Theft Auto 5, the fifth installment of the controversial open-worldShow MoreRelatedViolence and Americas Troubled Youth Essays1069 Words   |  5 PagesVideo games have come a long way since the days of Pong. Advances in technology have allowed games to present state of the art graphics and surreal like qualities to its consumers; from four star simulated battle scenes to enhanced real live fire shoot outs. With all these innovations added to violent video games it attracted the visual needs of our teenage youth. Although video game violence has been blamed for high profile school shootings, video games and its creators should not be held accountableRead MoreReal World Violence And Video Games1513 Words   |  7 PagesReal-World Violence and Video Games From news outlets, to politicians, to parents: when tragedies occur they place the blame on many different sources. After the Sandy Hook shooting, media networks fiercely debated whether or not video games played a part in the shooter’s motives, as he had played games from the notorious Grand Theft Auto series prior to the shooting. Some even suggested banning video games outright, despite the fact that other mediums that can portray violence, such as moviesRead MoreEssay on Yoko Ono: Alternative and Conceptual Art Genius1111 Words   |  5 Pages Yoko Ono is known for being the famous John Lennon’s wife and the scapegoat that is blamed for breaking up the pop/rock sensation group, The Beatles. 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Looking to direct his first movie, he was able to get ahold of distribution company, Miramax Films, with Lawrence BenderRead MoreA Critical Review of â€Å"the Ambiguities of Football, Politics, Culture, and Social Transformation in Latin America† by Tamir Bar-on.14147 Words   |  57 PagesA Critical Review of â€Å"The Ambiguities of Football, Politics, Culture, and Social Transformation in Latin America† by Tamir Bar-On. Introduction: In Latin America, soccer is not a game; it is a way of life. It is mixed in with politics and nationalism. It defines social classes. How politically influential is soccer in Latin America? It is used by â€Å"various Latin American socio-economic elites in order to retard the acceleration of working class and popular discontent† (Bar-On 1997:1.8). 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