Lots of very interesting reaction here. To clarify, I think it probably isn't great for very young kids to be exposed to graphic violence in any media, and I think ESRB rating and film rating can indeed be very helpful to watchful parents in protecting them. I can't see any good coming from desensitizing young kids to violence, if games can indeed do this. Interestingly enough, with my own kids, I find them more averse to video game and TV violence than I am. I was raised with lots of cowboys and native americans killing each other and constant newsreels from the Vietnam war. They don't generally see this kind of stuff and are horrified and appalled when they do. Maybe I've protected them too much!
As I think back on this column, the thing I really wanted to emphasize (other than pointing out the motivations of "media psychiatrists" and respecting the rights of those who try to put them in their places) is that the hullabaloo over video games causing violence so easily obscures other gaming related mental health issues that I see in spades every day in my office. I think of myself as a gamer, so I agree that many of us can manage this hobby without major difficulty, but there are also many who can not. They may bring emotional problems into gaming, or suffer problems in living as a result of gaming. These are often bright, capable and articulate young adults with so much potential. Having never seen a client whose violent behavior seemed to be the result of gaming, but knowing many in this other category, I think its important to acknowledge: gaming can be an big part of some peoples' serious mental health issues.
I think there is something more psychoactive about gaming than other media forms. Maybe I went too far in equating the gaming industry to tobacco and alcohol, but lawmakers in some states are already trying to put limits on who can sell games to whom, and I'm not sure it's so unreasonable for gaming companies to think more carefully about the mental health impacts of their products on consumers--especially when your consumers are an ardent community of people who care a lot about the hobby.
As I think back on this column, the thing I really wanted to emphasize (other than pointing out the motivations of "media psychiatrists" and respecting the rights of those who try to put them in their places) is that the hullabaloo over video games causing violence so easily obscures other gaming related mental health issues that I see in spades every day in my office. I think of myself as a gamer, so I agree that many of us can manage this hobby without major difficulty, but there are also many who can not. They may bring emotional problems into gaming, or suffer problems in living as a result of gaming. These are often bright, capable and articulate young adults with so much potential. Having never seen a client whose violent behavior seemed to be the result of gaming, but knowing many in this other category, I think its important to acknowledge: gaming can be an big part of some peoples' serious mental health issues.
I think there is something more psychoactive about gaming than other media forms. Maybe I went too far in equating the gaming industry to tobacco and alcohol, but lawmakers in some states are already trying to put limits on who can sell games to whom, and I'm not sure it's so unreasonable for gaming companies to think more carefully about the mental health impacts of their products on consumers--especially when your consumers are an ardent community of people who care a lot about the hobby.