A person who commits an act of violence shouldn't be able to place the blame on their interaction with video games. Turning focus off of oneself onto an 'M' rated (Mature) video game destroys the very notion that individuals should take accountability for their actions. If this is tolerated there will be an increased number of people who will find ways to blame their inappropriate actions on an unrelated third party. Violent video games can be gory, graphic and questionable, but playing violent video games does not automatically give individuals cause to act viciously, or allow them to get out of the consequences of such actions by blaming the makers of the video game. .
A considerable amount research on the effects of violent video games suggests there are definitely proven changes to the person playing violent video games. Some of the changes that occur are the following: heightened adrenaline levels, aggressive behavior, and a change in attitude immediately following violent video game play. However, no study found a direct link to committing a violent crime and the playing of violent video games.
Regardless of the difficulty in establishing a connection between violent video games and crimes being committed, the government has still intended to try and curb the making of such video games. .
The article, "Are Violent Video Games Harmful?", talks about how the government mandated that the video gaming industry needed a rating system. The result was in the form of a system of rating video games much like that of the current movie rating system. (Porter and Starcevic, 422) It is unlikely that playing violent video games has any connection to whether or not people decide to act out their violent tendencies. However, it is still a good practice to regulate the content our children watch and play, because it is society's moral responsibility to keep questionable material out of the hands of minors.
