I find it kind of funny that a lot of people choose to only notice the "surface issues" with this topic.
"Oh it's just a game, it's not real!"
That may be true but look at how far games have come since their creation. The newest hypes on display at conventions like E3 showcase how "realistic" games are anymore. And slowly but surely, video game producers are heading into Virtual Reality simulators. VR has been in place for years already (ie Amusement Park rides, military training, etc.) and they are making their way into the homes of the general populous (ie. Kinect, Natal, Wii-motes). Gradually, video games will become a 3-dimensional experience, whereas kids will have the opportunity to actually perform the necessary actions to fire/use weapons, perform complex tasks the game requires of them, throw objects, etc. So in other words, they'd be trained in the same way soldiers are for combat.
Now I'm not saying that all kids will be playing military-esque games, only MOST of them. Why? Because sex and violence sells. Children (mostly preteens) want to grow up so fast that they don't realize how good they have it as children (ie INNOCENCE). I'm guessing that one of the main reasons why they want to grow up (besides to finish school) would be to have all of the supposed FREEDOMS that adulthood apparently entitles. And this would include being able to legally purchase items meant for a mature audience.
Going back to the topic of today's games, everything looks so realistic that children younger than 15 could have a difficult time separating that from the real world, and virtual reality would only enhance that notion. The violence in turn desensitizes them and makes them more accepting of said violence. Couple that with the gratuitous amounts that can be found in a lot of M-rated games along with the realistic quality and you have a recipe for disaster.
**(Here's something you can try: Go to your local game retailer and search through all of the M-rated games. See how many of those games contain these items "BLOOD, GORE, ALCOHOL, DRUG USE, CRUDE HUMOR, VIOLENCE, SEXUAL THEMES". For every game you see that contains at least two of the previous contents, place it back on the shelf. By the end of your search count how many M-rated games you have in your hands that doesn't highlight sex, drugs, or violence as a main concern. You may or may not be surprised by the outcome.)**
Now before you all get offended, I'm not saying that realistic M-rated games turn kids into monsters. All I'm saying is that kids would become desensitized by these games, and in turn wouldn't view violence as something that is bad and shouldn't be used when they want something. This is where bad parenting comes in. Bad parenting is often summed up to flat-out ignoring their children. This is why unfit parents often allow their kids to play mature rated video games because it keeps the child(ren) quiet and away from them.
(This in turn creates feelings of abandonment and anti-social behavior, which are contributing factors to the next ideal.) If a child plays the mature rated games, a link in their brain solidifies: (VIOLENCE = OBEDIENCE). Since violence is not condoned in these video games (and often highly promoted), they begin to think (if not reprimanded) that violence is the solution to getting whatever they want. Therefore, if said child does not receive guidance or punishment for viewing violence as a solution to getting what they want, then they will continue to act upon their discovery. (This violence can range from things such as name-calling and taunts to actual physical attacks)
Then as they grow older, they can become more violent, and with the freedom to purchase whatever they wish when they become old enough, their violence increases tenfold with the added ability to force others to obey them or risk physical harm. Then you have tragedies such as Columbine, Virginia Tech. and terrorism. (The previous being WORST-CASE SCENARIOS, since bullying is a huge part of it as well, but bullying fits into the violence+desensitization thing.)
So in conclusion, people shouldn't point fingers at either the mature video games or bad parenting. Because they BOTH contribute to the outcome of how a child will grow and learn. If a child grows up with nothing to look forward to than the artificial/unchanging attention of video games, then they will become socially awkward and anti-social. But if a parent regularly interacts with their children, then those children will become accustomed to the temperamental emotions of other human beings and can thus become more social/active.
Before you rant about how wrong I am for my views, please keep in mind that what I have said is merely my opinion backed by studies I have done in my Psychology class. I'm not an expert and not everything I said is set in stone, but judging from observations and plausible connections, these CAN happen.
On a side note, I also find that children whom like to brag about their age and the fact that they are playing such mature games at their tender ages is quite tasteless. I mean what do they really have to prove? Why do they feel that they are in a competition to see who can get desensitized to violence and what not first?
(I tried to strike up this kind of conversation on youtube and all that resulted were others chastising me about how stupid I was for thinking that and how they're still in elementary school and playing these games yet they're not cold-blooded killers...etc. Thus in a way proving my point.)
"Oh it's just a game, it's not real!"
That may be true but look at how far games have come since their creation. The newest hypes on display at conventions like E3 showcase how "realistic" games are anymore. And slowly but surely, video game producers are heading into Virtual Reality simulators. VR has been in place for years already (ie Amusement Park rides, military training, etc.) and they are making their way into the homes of the general populous (ie. Kinect, Natal, Wii-motes). Gradually, video games will become a 3-dimensional experience, whereas kids will have the opportunity to actually perform the necessary actions to fire/use weapons, perform complex tasks the game requires of them, throw objects, etc. So in other words, they'd be trained in the same way soldiers are for combat.
Now I'm not saying that all kids will be playing military-esque games, only MOST of them. Why? Because sex and violence sells. Children (mostly preteens) want to grow up so fast that they don't realize how good they have it as children (ie INNOCENCE). I'm guessing that one of the main reasons why they want to grow up (besides to finish school) would be to have all of the supposed FREEDOMS that adulthood apparently entitles. And this would include being able to legally purchase items meant for a mature audience.
Going back to the topic of today's games, everything looks so realistic that children younger than 15 could have a difficult time separating that from the real world, and virtual reality would only enhance that notion. The violence in turn desensitizes them and makes them more accepting of said violence. Couple that with the gratuitous amounts that can be found in a lot of M-rated games along with the realistic quality and you have a recipe for disaster.
**(Here's something you can try: Go to your local game retailer and search through all of the M-rated games. See how many of those games contain these items "BLOOD, GORE, ALCOHOL, DRUG USE, CRUDE HUMOR, VIOLENCE, SEXUAL THEMES". For every game you see that contains at least two of the previous contents, place it back on the shelf. By the end of your search count how many M-rated games you have in your hands that doesn't highlight sex, drugs, or violence as a main concern. You may or may not be surprised by the outcome.)**
Now before you all get offended, I'm not saying that realistic M-rated games turn kids into monsters. All I'm saying is that kids would become desensitized by these games, and in turn wouldn't view violence as something that is bad and shouldn't be used when they want something. This is where bad parenting comes in. Bad parenting is often summed up to flat-out ignoring their children. This is why unfit parents often allow their kids to play mature rated video games because it keeps the child(ren) quiet and away from them.
(This in turn creates feelings of abandonment and anti-social behavior, which are contributing factors to the next ideal.) If a child plays the mature rated games, a link in their brain solidifies: (VIOLENCE = OBEDIENCE). Since violence is not condoned in these video games (and often highly promoted), they begin to think (if not reprimanded) that violence is the solution to getting whatever they want. Therefore, if said child does not receive guidance or punishment for viewing violence as a solution to getting what they want, then they will continue to act upon their discovery. (This violence can range from things such as name-calling and taunts to actual physical attacks)
Then as they grow older, they can become more violent, and with the freedom to purchase whatever they wish when they become old enough, their violence increases tenfold with the added ability to force others to obey them or risk physical harm. Then you have tragedies such as Columbine, Virginia Tech. and terrorism. (The previous being WORST-CASE SCENARIOS, since bullying is a huge part of it as well, but bullying fits into the violence+desensitization thing.)
So in conclusion, people shouldn't point fingers at either the mature video games or bad parenting. Because they BOTH contribute to the outcome of how a child will grow and learn. If a child grows up with nothing to look forward to than the artificial/unchanging attention of video games, then they will become socially awkward and anti-social. But if a parent regularly interacts with their children, then those children will become accustomed to the temperamental emotions of other human beings and can thus become more social/active.
Before you rant about how wrong I am for my views, please keep in mind that what I have said is merely my opinion backed by studies I have done in my Psychology class. I'm not an expert and not everything I said is set in stone, but judging from observations and plausible connections, these CAN happen.
On a side note, I also find that children whom like to brag about their age and the fact that they are playing such mature games at their tender ages is quite tasteless. I mean what do they really have to prove? Why do they feel that they are in a competition to see who can get desensitized to violence and what not first?
(I tried to strike up this kind of conversation on youtube and all that resulted were others chastising me about how stupid I was for thinking that and how they're still in elementary school and playing these games yet they're not cold-blooded killers...etc. Thus in a way proving my point.)