Video Game Bashing: Truth or Fiction?.
It has always been expected that each generation will change from the last, sometimes more drastically than others. So it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the youths of today are entertaining themselves in ways completely apart from those thirty or forty years ago. Instead of G.I. JOE or Barbie, it's now Grand Theft Auto and Playstation 2. Yet even with the knowledge that this evolution in entertainment is bound to happen, parents and lawmakers today still seem threatened by the change, just like their parents most likely did in their youth. However, this entertainment evolution has seemingly brought something that none other has brought before, violence. .
Ever since the first First Person Shooter (FPS) or Role-Playing Game (RPG) entered into the gaming market, lawmakers, media, and parents have held up the red flag against them. From then on almost all video games were watched closely, but opponents kept relatively quite. All this ended after the fateful day at Columbine High School in April 1999. This event can be seen as the spark that sent the debate over violence in video games and television aflame. Since that day every video game that had any sort of what was considered to be immoral or inappropriate material was brought to the forefront of the media, getting blasted from every direction with claims ranging from video games causing murder to depression to suicide. With all this happening, the question should be raised, is this blind and blatant bashing of video games fair? The answer is no. These media stories almost always leave out critical evidence that supports the gaming industry, such as the mental health of the person before the incident, the ESRB rating system on all video games, and the basic lack of evidence showing video games causing violent tendencies. These left out topics are just as important as those against video games and should be explored.