videogame violence :: essays research papers fc

With the upcoming release of the ultra-violent video game 25 to Life, game developers are once again under fire by politicians and activist to rethink the content of their games. 25 to Life is an action shooting game that pits law enforcement against gang members in battle. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) has taken the developer Edios to task for the questionable content of the game. The senator wants this â€Å"cop killer† game boycotted by retailers and has even went so far as to appeal to Microsoft and Sony to end their licensing agreement with the game maker (www.afterdawn.com). This is just the latest of games that have come under fire by law makers for the subject material they contain. This has become a fairly hot topic in society today with the rise in violence and popularity of video games such as the Grand Theft Auto, Doom, and Halo series. Many activists feel that these games in the hands of children can lead to insensitivity to violence amongst other things. This lead s to the question: are game manufacturers acting unethically by producing ultra-violent or realistic games? Discussion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I suppose the first thing I should say is: I feel it is in no way the moral responsibility of the game manufacturers to curb the content they put into games. That being said, a few of the reasons they are trying to ban violent video games as according to psychologists is: Children may become more aggressive and develop favorable attitudes about the use of violence to resolve conflicts. Children may become desensitized to violence in the real world around them, less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, and more willing to tolerate ever-increasing levels of violence. Children may begin to believe that the real world is as mean and dangerous in real life as it appears on the media and in video games (www.salsa.net). To this I ask: what about me? What about people like me? Responsible, moderately well rounded, educated adults? Should I not get to play the games that were intended for me? And the truth is, the games that everyone is up in arms over are made f or me, an adult. That’s why the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was implemented. Not unlike movie ratings the ESRB provide information about video and computer game content before u make a purchase. ESRB ratings have two parts: the rating symbols which suggest age appropriateness for the game, and the content descriptors which indicate elements in a game that may have led to the rating symbol or may inform you of questionable content (www.