A new major video game distributor has released a first-person shooter game that allows you to go into schools, businesses, and other public areas and shoot innocent characters to score points until the police eventually kill you. The game is rated so that no one under the age of 18 can purchase it. Should we use our vast media holdings to argue the game should be banned?
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YES. This makes me angry that this could or would ever be a thing someone would think about releasing into the world. The facts are that even if this game did not allow anyone under the age of 18 to purchase it, people under that age would still get their hands on the game. Just like drugs and/or alcohol, kids still do it because there are ways around the law, which is wrong. If the game came out and did not allow kids to buy it, some parents would buy their kids the game and it would unfortunately be as simple as that. I have always had the opinion that any video games that have shooting people in them desensitize kids to that behavior. I was never allowed to play those games and I will never allow my kids because I think that it takes the seriousness away from guns and it allows kids to virtually kill something that looks like a human being with no sad feelings attached which I think is very unhealthy especially for minds that aren’t developed enough to really see all the consequences of the actions they decide to make. I think we should use the media to help ban this game, if enough people posted about it and stated reasons why it is not a good idea versus just being negative toward the creator of the game, it would be banned in no time. That is something that is nice about how vast and powerful the media is, it can get things done really fast if people put their minds to it.
After reading the post prompt, I immediately said, YES. This game shouldn’t even be in existence. Studies have shown that the vast majority of school shooters, serial killers, and other criminals have played a large number of violent videogames. Why would we want a game on the market that specifically allows one to go into schools to shoot people? How is that even ok? While there are a large number of games on the market that are quite violent, a game so specific on shooting innocent people has gone too far. A lot of military games like Call of Duty, Rainbow Six, Command & Conquer, etc. are “military” games. People in the US military have to shoot people to protect our country. There is a difference between shooting to defend vs. shooting innocents for no reason other than enjoyment. Making this particular game have a purchase restriction will not keep it out of the hands of younger individuals.
Even still, how will this game help humanity? Will it give us a sense of reality? Are we learning anything beneficial? How will this game influence us? I personally think this game has nothing good to offer and should be banned from the market. We will all survive without another violent video game to waste our time on.
Yes, this game should absolutely be banned. I strongly believe that video games such as these are grooming children to become mass murderers. Although, the game is rated 18 and above kids will find a way to play it. I also feel like there’s a big lack of parental supervision in today’s society, that these children could be up all night playing dangerous games such as these. I’m not saying all parents are like this, it is just something I’ve noticed. This game allows you to go into SCHOOLS, and BUSINESSES to shoot random innocent people UNTIL THE COPS KILL YOU?? Did the creators of this game just turn the news on one day and says “oh, yeah that’s a good idea for a video game?” In January of THIS year, there have already been 28 mass shootings. According to Gun Violence Archive (GVA) by the end of 2019 there were 417 shootings. That’s more than once a day for a whole year. Games like this shouldn’t even exist.
Michaela, I agree with you. It is games, movies, and TV shows like this that have caused children to be so desensitized to violence. They do not see anything wrong with what they are doing they believe it is all a game.
I am so glad you agree that this seems crazy that it would even be thought of, I said the same exact thing. I don’t know what this game would even be called but it almost spells out mass shooting and it is really sad. I do find it sad that games like this exist. My boyfriend plays shooting and killing games and has sense he was a young kid and he argued that it was just a game and although many people think that way and can ply those games without having negative thoughts but if you look into many mass shooting cases, many of the people who did the killing, started off by playing killing video games to “practice” as they say. I strongly think these types of video games desensitize the loss of life and should not be legal.
I personally loathe video games that involve guns. They are not allowed in my house and my children are not allowed to even be around them when others are playing them. I also don’t understand watching horribly violent movies, horror films or how people develop crushes on serial killers. I can’t wrap my head around why someone would want to become desensitized to those types of things or glorify that behavior. That being said, there haven’t been any credible studies that show first-person video games are linked to real-life shootings. I think certain political parties and some of the media use these types of video games as a way to shift blame instead of focusing on the real issues that cause things like mass shootings, and that is access to guns and limited access to mental healthcare. Instead of using video games as a scapegoat, I think we should use our vast media holdings to educate people on the need for increased gun control. We should use our media power to push for increased access to mental healthcare, or at the very least do whatever we can to decrease the social stigmas related to mental health. If we want to be in the business of policing what people do with their time, then we can clearly make it our business to bring about positive change in our country. As much as I wish there was a reason to ban those types of games, until there is some scientific research showing a correlation between games and real-life violence, we have to allow people to make poor choices about how they spend their personal time.
I agree. I don’t think video games that model behavior that is dangerous, harmful, and reprehensible has a place in society. But I think that these sorts of games/entertainment are worse than access to guns. Guns, at least, have good uses. I am also not sure how a credible study could even be carried out to measure playing games that virtually murder people with real life murders.
Our media holdings are best used to distribute a message about violence, rather than imposing upon the freedoms afforded by the Bill of Rights. While this game may not appeal to our consumers, there is a segment of the market to which it does. More importantly, I believe it would be a misstep to bring forth litigation with the intention of promoting censorship. If we want to distribute a message against the game, we should produce video and written publications that provide the public with empirical data detailing the negative effects of violence. I agree that the content of this game is inappropriate for many, however there are numerous other contributors to violence across the globe. I believe it is best to put our money to use by investigating the issues of violence and uncovering its causes. The findings may be surprising.
Yes, absolutely. This type of promotion of violence should never be allowed. It is games and movies like this that has caused so many shootings in schools across the country. Children get desensitized and they don’t learn right from wrong. They think that it is only a game. The media needs to take responsibility for the violence they are showing and selling to kids.
Rhonda, I agree so much with you! I definitely desensitizes kids from the seriousness of that specific situation and many kids do think it is jut a game and don’t realize the connection between games like this and as many mass shootings as we have today, it is so sad!
Absolutely. Part of the media’s job is to share current events with the world and to shed light on situations. It would be absolutely disgusting to allow a video game of this nature to be available when we have had many school shootings with real victims. Real lives changed forever. Children being murdered is never okay and is never okay to joke about or play around about.
There are certain lines in life and society that we should not cross, and this is one of them. As a media outlet, we have a platform and duty to express our disgust at this blatant disregard for children’s lives and death, as well as the disrespect. We cannot sit by and allow our society to become absolute filth.
I’m with you on this one. There is not a place in today’s civilized society for practicing crimes of murder – against children. THere is not an argument of theoretical freedom or liberty that can justify that. The freedom to play video games, yes. Practice virtual shooting of guns, sure. Act out a certain level of violence, perhaps. But murder children at school. No justification for that. And again, I think the danger of never banning anything is as great as the danger of banning unnecessarily.
I like that you used the word “duty” because that is so very true. It is our duty as people in society to not only show our disgust and unapproval but to protect the children and show the that this is not okay and why. First person shooting games are so popular these days because of social media promoting them and the kids seeing that these games would be “fun” I wonder what would happen if the media blew up about the negative sides of them, I bet change would be made.
Simply put, this is terribly saddening. I cannot imagine living in a world where the prospects of killing innocent people would be considered “okay” or even “fun”. It is disrespectful and inhumane. We are living in a chaotic world where innocent people are dying every single day. To create a game of this nature will completely desensitize us. This is not okay. Furthermore, placing a ban on the game for children 18 years or younger means absolutely nothing. Kids are able to get their hands on just about everything no matter the restrictions. The fact that the game ends with the police killing the player is even more disturbing. This type of game promotes outright murder. I am actually so upset that I even have to justify why a video game like this should be banned completely from all of society.
I completely agree with you. A game like this would not be beneficial to our world in any way. It’s hard to believe people invest time into making a game like this. What is their conscious telling them as they map out a game of this nature??
If you have younger siblings or kids, you have probably seen the aggression and arguing that happens when a group of kids play video games together. Imagine what’s going through their heads if they had access to a game like this? It makes me sick to think about it.
I will preface what I am about to say with: I strongly disagree with the content on the video game. I think it is irresponsible and disgusting; however, I do not believe it should be banned. While I agree that we have been highly desensitized as a society, I do not think that banning things or making TV/Video game regulations stricter is an effective way of fixing the problem. I think as adults, it should be completely up to that individual what they watch or play. If the concern is what children are watching or playing, I think up to the parents to ensure they aren’t watching or playing video games that are inappropriate for children. I don’t think it is societies responsibility to raise other peoples’ children. I think as a society, we are too involved in telling people what they can/cannot do, watch, or say. I think we should be better at processing information and determining for ourselves what we should or should not be exposing ourselves to.
I agree with you 100% The only way the children would be playing this game is if the parents were not paying attention to their children. Grand Theft Auto closely resembles what has been described above and it sold and was talked about as the cause for a lot of violence in children. The fact is where was the parents of those children, if they gave enough attention to there kids they would probably better understand the concept of virtual life and real life. I would not care if it got out, but as a gamer, the game sounds pretty lame.
I believe that these games should be banned. There is absolutely no merit to “role playing” these types of behaviors via video games. It is common among the gaming community to joke about the statement “videogames cause children to be violent and shoot up schools.” Who can really say what role a violent videogame plays in a person’s mind before a heinous act is committed? However, there is most likely some influence had on the mind by participating in shooting innocent people for points. These types of destructive behaviors are breeding grounds for mental instability and indifference to violence. I do believe as a society it is our responsibility to help shape the minds of the youth in a positive way. Making a game 18 and over will do nothing to keep it out of the hands of children. So what is the solution? Ban the game, or even better stop making these games to begin with. It takes a sadistic mind to produce this type of material.
Ok, so this will probably not be a popular opinion, but I do not think this should be banned. I think the game age limit to buy it should be increased to 21 and maybe stricter rules on who can buy it, but banned? No. Once you start the slippery slope of banning things, that’s when other things start to get taken away. I know it seems trivial because it is just a video game, but then why stop there? Ban that movie, the TV show, those books, that type of car, those guns, that school, that church….it continues to slide. Do I agree with the content? No, but when you get into “banning” things, control starts to grow and when it spreads, it is hard to cut that off. I had a business ethics class last year and we discussed games like these and what happens in other countries if adults buy these games for underage kids. The penalties are quite harsh and include prison time. If something like that was implemented, I believe people would think twice. But I do not think things like this should be outright banned.
I too had this thought, the censorship and freewill being taken away. But, at the same time, some things should be censored. Such as snuff films. We could argue we have a right to watch snuff films, but there is still morality to consider.
How is this any different than games like Fortnite or any other shooter games? In Fortnite, 100 players are fighting one another to be the last person standing. Although in Fortnite, they are not going into schools, they are going into business and other public areas. I know kids who are in 4th-grade playing this game along with adults. I do not believe that this game, in particular, should have an age restriction. However, if there is a game created where the first-person shooter game that allows you to go into schools, businesses, and other public areas and shoot innocent characters to score points until the police eventually kill you, then I think there should be some rethinking in the game they are inventing. An age restriction to buying the game is not going to stop children who are under the age of 18 playing it. Those children will ask their friends and/or family to purchase the game. I would personally think this video game should not be banned but be reconsidered on how it should run. With a few modifications, the game could be less vulgar and more enjoyable.
I think the difference is the school shooting element- playing out horrific trauma that our children are experiencing in real life. It makes it more real and more disgusting.
This game described is already one of the most popular video games on the market, Grand Theft Auto. In GTA, you play as a criminal who is free to roam the city completing missions and killing whomever you want. While I don’t condone the violence, I have seen no indication that being “violent” in a game makes you a more violent person in real life. I don’t play GTA myself, many of my friends do, and I see no indication that playing the game has any affect on how they act in real life. People seem to think that going around causing mayhem in a video game makes you more likely to do it in real life. As far as I know, this has never been confirmed by any scientific studies. The fact that many school shooters play violent video games doesn’t mean that the games made them commit the crime. Correlation does not equal causation. The truth is that a huge number of teens play these games, and very few ever translate their game actions to real life.
I support the proper labeling of these games, so that parents can make educated decisions on what they want their kids exposed to, but I do not think that games like these should be banned outright.
You make an extremely good point about the game grand theft auto. While it doesn’t necessarily involve shooting up schools, it still allows and encourages shooting innocent bystanders and cops. I’ve even heard boasting and about challenges on how many cops or civilians they could kill and a point system they had. Disgusting.
I mean I think this is an obvious yes. Being that there is no point other than to go into buildings or schools and shoot innocent people in order to score points, that absolutely goes against what society should be doing. While the comparison to Grand Theft Auto has been made, it is still not a completely senseless game in the aspect of just shooting random people. It does have a story line, and is rated so that it cannot be purchased by those under a certain age. I personally do not believe that a violent video game translates into violent actions in real life, but a game such as the one in the discussion topic could certainly be a cause of concern.
James,
I agree with your point on how games are translated into real life scenarios and how it affects peoples opinion of real life situations. I think most everyone would agree that any game described as a “school shooting simulation” is a twisted idea and in very bad taste. Nice post, great work!
Yes, games that simulate school shootings and other forms of murder/killing crimes should be banned. While it is true that “banning things” is a slippery slope, I would argue that so is “not banning things”.
We must take a step back and realize that what should not be banned is video games. And, in my opinion, guns and shooting should not be banned from video games. But limits should be placed on what even pretend guns should do. Books should not be banned but that does not mean that there are not things that should never be printed.
I don’t think we need to (and likely cannot) prove causality between practicing crime and committing crime in order to say that both are wrong. If we must shoot in video games, practice shooting some horrible force of evil. Practice and model what you would want to be in private and in public.
Yes, we should absolutely use the media to help ban such a violent video game. I get that some will probably argue that it’s just that, a game, but I don’t think these types of games should be created or promoted. I understand that it is rated so that no one under 18 can purchase it, but that doesn’t mean that their older siblings or friends won’t give them access to playing it. I think that making games like these is not only telling kids/young adults that this is ok, but inspires things like mass and school shootings to happen. There’s already so much violence in the world today, why add to it by producing something that endorses shooting innocent people. The fact that you score points until police eventually kill you doesn’t make it any better either. I don’t see how this particular type of game could benefit anyone. The bottom line is that video games like these make me wonder if they have ever inspired a person that has been involved in a mass or school shooting.
From an objective standpoint, I don’t think that arguing to ban this game would be very effective and it can be argued that banning the game infringes on first amendment rights. I think that using the outcry over these types of games (that are not proven to cause violence in youth) could be a good time to start conversations about mental health (like Tricia mentioned) and parenting. Parents are ultimately responsible for monitoring what their children are viewing. Although that can be very difficult at times, it is important for parents to be able to discuss with their children why this game is so terrible and why they should never want to play a game like this. It’s like GTA where you can go around town doing a lot of really bad things including ramming and killing innocent civilians.
I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand I don’t see anything good coming from a video game depicting a school shooting. Obviously this is in poor taste and probably should have never been made. On the other hand we already have games like Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto in which innocent people are killed throughout the game.
I personally have played Call of Duty Modern Warfare in which the opening scene is a bunch of people getting killed in an airport. I don’t think this has desensitized me to the value of human life or the realities of the world we live in. It is just a game and it has never once made me think that it might be fun to take this game and live it out in reality.
We are desensitized because of what we see on the news everyday. Think about the first school shooting you ever heard about and how you reacted. You were probably shocked and horrified at the idea that someone could do something like that and that kids were not safe in their own classes. Now think about the last one you heard about. Did you react the same way? Or was it more like, “Not another school shooting, what is wrong with people?†Not quite the same amount of shock because it is happening all the time and we hear about it all the time. The constant bombardment of bad news is what actually desensitises people. If you did not become somewhat desensitized you would live your life in a constant state of anguish.
While I do agree there are some “weak minded†individuals who may be more easily influenced by the games they play but it is no different than what they see on the news and in movies. I have not seen any study that has proven that violent video games can make an otherwise nonviolent person become violent. Having said that in no way do I think these games should be made available to anyone under 18. It is the job of the parent to be aware of what their children are exposed to.
While this may not be a popular opinion, I do not think we should ban this video game. I personally would not play it but I think it should be an individual choice.
In this instance, a ban would be censorship. I’m not saying that this game should exist, but to ban it entirely would be immoral. However, each individual business has the right to decide not to carry a game that they disagree with, and in this case, I’d say that the vast majority would not carry the game even if it was simply to avoid backlash from the public. Furthermore, while there is a niche market for games such as this, the majority of consumers would not even consider purchasing it. If you want to make the argument about grand theft auto being similar and having some of the highest sales of any game, consider this: many people play grand theft auto for the player vs player and driving/piloting side of the game, they do not play for the purpose of killing innocent bystanders. In conclusion, a ban is not necessary for this as the public as a whole, even just looking at the rest of the responses her, will react poorly to a game like this. In fact, games like this already exist, but do you know the names or hear about them? No, because the consumers do not want to play them.
I believe that videos including shooting, guns or killing can be acceptable, such as war games which simulate real life events. However, a game who’s purpose is to go into schools, businesses and public places, encouraging the player to shoot randomized innocent people?? That seems like a pretty sick and twisted idea, and I do not support nor would I support the distribution of such a “game”. I think that by putting an age limit on a game like that, the message that such ideology is acceptable for persons over a certain age is allowed is pushed and I would further argue that this makes the entire game even worse, if that is possible. Obviously games like this exist now, but we just don’t think of them in such a vile way. When phrased as this prompt was, it really makes us stop and consider what it is we’re allowing to be produced by companies and what we as a society are willing to accept as “make-believe”.
Personally, this game doesn’t sound like something I would want to play, but ultimately I don’t think that we should argue to ban this video game. To me this game sounds like a Grand Theft Auto game, just a little bit more hardcore. The game was given a rating so that no one under the age of 18 can purchase it, so only adults should have access to it. I really don’t think playing a game with violence leads kids to go out and commit these atrocious crimes. Kids already frequently play games where the objective is to kill people, like Fortnite and Call of Duty. To me this is just another game. If we begin to ban games then we begin the process of going down the slippery slope that could result in outright bans of any game that contains violence. Before we know it, Pokémon games could be banned because of violence and “animal crueltyâ€. Though some may not like this opinion, I think it protects our freedom of speech. If you don’t want your children playing the game, that is your own personal decision to not let them play it. Banning violent video games will not solve the gun violence issue in America.
A video game modeled after mass shootings is undoubtedly obscene and degenerate. Normalizing such behavior into a video game is unwise and would be in practice of extremely poor judgement. No sane person would argue for a video game in which one gets points for throwing Jews into death camps, or anti-communists into Soviet gulags, or slaughtering innocents in the Killing Fields of Cambodia. So why would any sane person wish to promote obscene barbarism on fellow Americans; one’s neighbor and their family and in a time of peace no less!? A video game such as the one in question is purely pernicious. Should the release of such a game be argued and fought against? Yes, one could make that case on the grounds of Obscenity Laws alone. Lastly, what damage would be caused by putting your company’s name on such a game do to the reputation of your company’s name? Not a moral or profitable venture in my summation.
Yes the game should be banned. Now if the game had an underlying story line like modern warfare 2 does while showing a scene where you mow down innocent civilians then it would make sense to have such acts in it but a game whose entire purpose is to just kill innocent people for points is murder porn and serves no purpose other than to stimulate the sick desire that someone might have to do such an act and much like bestiality and child porn should be rejected by society and made illegal.
Yes, this game should be banned! However, I do not think the game should be argued within the media that it should be banned because I feel like this would be “free marketing” and making something illegal/banned might make kids want it even more. I think this should be banned to be made, therefore kids do not even have the option of somehow getting their hands on it.
No, we should not use our vast media holdings to argue the game should be banned. I do not believe that video games are connected to violence, so the fact that the game shows violent acts should not affect whether or not it is banned. It is okay if parents want to deny their kids the ability to play these games, but that responsibility should be left up to the parents. The video game industry upholds its responsibility by rating the game so no minors can purchase it. There are plenty of similar cases I could give, such as with movies, but there is no reason these comparisons should need to be made because they all follow the same logic.
I think that media holdings should be used to ban the game. First shooter games should not be based on shooting innocent people and children. And considering the gun violence in schools, it should definitely not include schools. It has been found that video games are linked to aggression, delinquency, and criminal behavior. Therefore, I think it is completely irresponsible for a game like this to be produced. I am not against first shooter games, but one that targets innocent people is immoral and irresponsible.
I agree with you that they should be banned. School shootings are on a rise and this would only increase those thoughts and or actions with kids. I like how you brought the text in but at the same time your thoughts of the company producing an item that is immoral and irresponsible holds more weight.
Yes, I think the media holdings should be used to ban the game. Yes, the age limit keeps the young ones from buying it personally. However, that does not keep them from giving the money to an uneducated adult on video games to go buy it for them. There is also the fact that these violent game being brought into a house with violence already there could give kids an idea of how to deal with it. No, it may not be intentional but not everything is but everything has an effect on a young mind. These games are not safe to be in homes, even if it only being played by adults kids could still be watching and learning everything from it.
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Emotionally charged arguments are easy when a question such as this is posed. School shootings, make believe or real can cause a very visceral reaction. Instead of focusing on what the game entails, we should focus more on how much we take for granted our media freedom. Personal opinions of violent video games aside, let’s look at the actual facts. The American Psychological Association has made it very clear that there is no evidence to support a link between violent video games and violent behavior in children or adults. Attributing future violence to video games is an easy way out that draws attention away from what really causes violence in our communities and to be quite frank is a disrespectful disregard to underlying factors. These factors include large income disparities within communities, unaffordable mental health care, and neglectful parenting, to mention very few. Violence in our children is not because of first person shooting games, but instead in part because of America’s history of disregard and neglect of those suffering from mental illness.
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We should use our vast media holdings to ban this game. Just because this game is rated does not make the actions that are shown in the game ok. This video game encourages violence and murder of innocent people. Although there are games where you kill other people usually you are fighting them which is different from just killing innocent people. I am not condoning this but there needs to be a line. By letting kids/adults play this type of game we are numbing them to the fact that walking into a public place and killing people is not so bad, which is a terrible thing. This game crosses a line, the line of you don’t kill innocent people just for fun or because you can, It sends the wrong message to the people in our society. There are people that argue that it is not real, but by doing it over and over again even in virtual reality your brain can start to rationalize that it is ok to do these kinds of things. This game crosses that line and should be banned. Encouraging people to kill innocent people should not be encouraged even if only in a virtual reality.
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This is a particularly difficult situation and I see myself on both sides. Violent games have been around for YEARS and there has always been age restrictions due to the possibility of presenting one to those of young ages. Some would say that a video game like the one presented would encourage people to commit violence towards innocent people. However, there have been frequent studies that were conducted that have found no relation to violent video games and violence in real life. Now lets look at other games. One game in particular, Grand Theft Auto, is one that I even remember from when I was in middle school. They always come out with new versions but it’s always the same concept. You can shoot, stab, or beat up random people while stealing their things. It still amazes me that this game is currently still selling and popular. If we allow games like this, what is the difference in the game that we are talking about? I will never agree with the making of violent video games but things like that are inevitable. The one thing I will say is there is a point where you are crossing a line. I do not believe that they should allow this game to go into public schools and shoot it up. That is almost normalizing something that is very very wrong and sensitive.
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I think video games like this should be banned. It should not be played with anyone, since it’s an act of violence. Video games like this is encouraging people to commit crimes anywhere, and they would think that is it okay to do things like things. And game like this should not be doing in any public places especially into school premises since there are some school shooting that happened over the passed months. So, I agree that we should banned this kind of game.
There are already so many video games out there that have the same content. If we are to ban one I think they all should be banned.
I don’t care for games where innocents are being hurt and don’t let my children play them when they are with me. However, I did recently find out that the rules on game content are not as strict at their father’s house. I do think that games like this should be banned or a parent should be able to get into their children’s account to set some kind of parental block on it. I don’t think you should have to be on that specific console to set parental blocks either, you be able to get online and do it from there. I don’t really know how it works on all consoles but I know on Nintendo consoles you have to be on that console. At least that is what I found.
(Please if someone knows different let me know. Thank you.)
I’m not one to believe that video games, music and movies are to blame for the violence that happens in the world but I do believe children should not be able to play video games like this. Though I don’t really mind if it is a war game and the fighting is with other fighters or against bad guys. When the killing and what not is against innocents it’s a different story.
Unfortunately, we already have a lot of shooting games in the world. I do believe that we should use our vast media holdings to argue why the game should be banned. Although the game is rated 18+, kids will find a way to get their hands on it. Especially if it becomes a popular game!! If we didn’t have so many school shootings in the past year then I would argue to keep the game and that it’s harmless. But I’ve seen enough heartbreaking shooting videos in the news that this game cannot happen. There’s puzzle, adventure, mystery games why do we need shooting games? And why do we need a game that targets innocent people?? It’s insane to think of a game like this to be made into the world.
No, our vast media holdings should not argue that this game should be banned. Games like this already exist. All petitioning it to be banned will just put more eyes on it. If you don’t want your kid to play it don’t let them, its that simple. There is no scientific link between violence in video games as much as people want to believe. There are games like this that already exist and don’t cause harm. If anything it lets people who may be inclined to be aggressive to let it out in a safe way.
Yes, we should use our media holdings to argue for the ban. While violent video games such as this have always been a controversial topic, I think that the use of points as an incentive to kill random people crosses the line. It is well within our right to express our opinion on the topic, as we not only have the right to free speech but also the ability to connect with a large audience using our platform. Whether or not anything is actually done about banning the game is a different story, but we can, and probably should, use our platform to do what we think is right. As journalists I suppose it would be our responsibility to keep the public informed on issues such as this.
Yes, the media holdings absolutely should be used to argue against this game as something that is able to be purchased. I shooting/war games are an acceptable form of entertainment/simulation. However, when it involves subjects such as schools, businesses, and violence involving those who are there to protect society I do not believe this is something people should play for fun. There have been studies done that link violence in video games to real-life situations. Regardless, of the studies I still cannot support simulation of violence in video games for serious issues we face in the real world today.
Yes, our media holdings should argue to either ban the game or impose a sufficient warning system if the precedent of games like this already existing makes that an impossibility.. whether or not violent video games can be linked to real life acts of violence, and there is considerable evidence to argue that it can to some extent, some factors to consider are the impact the acts that are available in game have had on our society, how this would affect the conversation around real life acts of violence, the impact this would have on actual victims, and whether or not our holdings have the responsibility to promote less controversial material. Shootings in the modern day are a heated topic and this at the very least is in poor taste for making light of and arguably desensitizing players to acts of violence. Additionally, from a corporate perspective, if the company decided to promote the game, it is affecting our reputation, so I would like to see additional information regarding the topic either included or provided in an online format, as the company would then have grounds to distance itself from the conversation surrounding the game after release. Games like this already exist, albeit to a slightly lesser extent than the game proposed, and so banning it is most likely a pipe dream, but spreading awareness as a third party could benefit the holdings in the long term.