Why violent video games should NOT be banned.

[Curbsidewhiskey]

I need some help here. I have a paper due at the end of the month in my ENGL 1020 class. It is an argument essay. My topic is why violent video games should NOT be banned. I am a passionate gamer and I strongly disagree with banning video games. I need evidence against banning them and I need evidence as to why people want to ban them. I already have my rough draft started. This thing needs to be about 6-8 pages long. So please, any help will do. I would like to get this thing knocked out in the next week or so.

Thanks

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[mobsterlobster]

Remember that high ranking buddhist fella a few weeks back who said that playing violent video games is a great way to relieve stress and anger? That could be a good argument. Also, you could argue that intelligent, mature adults have every right to play violent video games if they want to.

 

[AddytheGreat]

People can distinguish betweet fantasy and fiction? You wouldnt ban a book that describes murder, or other violent acts, would you?

 

[Poomanchu745]

Two Words. FREE SPEECH. If video games were censored then so would free speech and it would be a breech of the 1st amendment (if you live in the USA that is).

 

[Noo_Noo]

You could also point out that violence in media has existed since... well, the media was created. There's violence in films, books, music, yet they aren't treated with the same venom by angry parents as games are.

 

[wooty]

At the end of the day its make believe, pretty colours and lights designed to entertain us.
If they ban the violent games, then they may aswell ban movies too, all the same stuff

 

[Tartarga]

Two Words. FREE SPEECH. If video games were censored then so would free speech and it would be a breech of the 1st amendment (if you live in the USA that is).

Thats what I was thinking. Also if game companys can't make violent games then they will have to make casual games which some of them may not be very good at, which could cause them to go out of buisness thus lowering the number of jobs. You might be able to use that, and if not than I am an idiot. I do not require confirmation from other people.

 

[arc101]

Uh hum, i have been waiting for this.
People who play 18 rated games should be 18 (hypocrite here, but shush) and should be monitored by the parents, the younger people can only have access to gory games if the parents have bought them, so ban parents instead.
I find violent games get my frustration out and i am calmer afterward, so i become more passive for my social life and less likely to stab someone with a screw driver or use a plastic bag for an execution...

 

[Curbsidewhiskey]

So far I have three reasons why they shouldn't be banned.
1. Ratings labels are there for a reason.
2. More games should have "Remove Blood and Gore" options.
3. Parents and Sales Clerks are at fault for buying and selling games to children, not the game companies.

Should I change my reasons? Or add 1 or 2 more?

 

[Lullabye]

People can distinguish between fantisy and fiction? You wouldnt ban a book that describes murder, or other violent acts, would you?

Mein Kempf(or however its spelt)

 

[Frybird]

Two Words. FREE SPEECH. If video games were censored then so would free speech and it would be a breech of the 1st amendment (if you live in the USA that is).

That should actually suffice for many countries.

I'd find it interesting if you could counter the argument of "Violent Games look so realistic" with the whole "Uncanny Valley" Thing that pretty much says that the current level of "realism" looks rather arkward and weird when compared to reality.

 

[Lullabye]

Uh hum, i have been waiting for this.
People who play 18 rated games should be 18 (hypocrite here, but shush) and should be monitored by the parents, the younger people can only have access to gory games if the parents have bought them, so ban parents instead.
I find violent games get my frustration out and i am calmer afterward, so i become more passive for my social life and less likely to stab someone with a screw driver or use a plastic bag for an execution...

they need to change the rating system. ive been playing games since i was 5 or 6, and ive been playing "mature" games since i was 10. i think they need to take all the game ratings and bring them down a level. M-T, T-E.

 

[orangebandguy]

They're the best kind of video games, there's nothing like gathering up a few of your friends and shooting them into giblets.

 

[Daveman]

kids who go nuts and kill people may have been nuts before they played violent video games as this is something that they are likely to enjoy. they may have been the same without the video games. i.e. gaming isn't the causative factor for kids going wacko. they already were.

 

[mrx19869]

go to the library...

 

[AddytheGreat]

People can distinguish between fantisy and fiction? You wouldnt ban a book that describes murder, or other violent acts, would you?

Mein Kempf(or however its spelt)

Isnt that Hitlers book? I didnt know that it was banned, I would of quite liked to get me a copy of that book.
No, I'm not a Nazi, I just wana know what he thought, felt, wanted. I like knowing my history.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

Video games are fiction, not reality. Same as the books I read and the shows/movies I watch. They have nothing to do with the real world and I know that. Technically, most games are some manner of violent (jumping on Goombas anyone?) so you'll just have to ban them all. Extremism like that is just crazy.

Also, not all games are gorefests. Personally, I'm mostly in it for the story. No matter what anyone else says, I believe that games can pull of stories as well as any movie or book. The music can sometimes rival the works of real world classics. Some games may even be considered art (Okami). It'd be a crime to get rid of games like that. Violence isn't the main attraction for those games, but it's part of the story.