Video game manufacturers have been used as an excuse for violent youth on many occasions. sniper case, and most other forms of youth violence have also chosen this as a prime cause. Are the video games to blame though? Is that the direction we want to point our fingers, or is it just another way to play off the bad household or society situations? This paper will hit the points, and what needs to be discussed in order to get these answers.
An important subject to touch on first is the production history of video games. Where the first video game was invented and what reactions were to it. Umass was home to the first produces and played video game made in the late 1950's. This game went by the name Spacewar, this game was a root game for Asteroids. This video game was like no other though, and being the first one many adjustments needed to be made. Players needed to type commands in to move the ship or fire, there were no joysticks or buttons. From this point on programmers would start thinking more, and give games more of an edge. They had plots, and adventure themes, and the games became more complicated to win. Video games from that point until today have changed so much and became so graphic that violence is more bloody then ever before. That alone gives the reason to analyze whether it is the games that cause the violence.
The gaming industry has climbed close to the top of the entertainment industry, and games are played by kids of all ages and on a regular basis. The games themselves range from violent, to racing, to dressing up Barbie, to even playing cards at a casino. People get paid money to make these games and it isn't an easy market. Thoughts of this causing kids to be violent would also suggest that kids have gambling problems because of the casino games, and that they drive too fast because the racing game made them. The fact is they are just games. Anything a person does is on their own accord, and I doubt any thought of Halo, or Duke Nukem, goes through the children's minds before he hits his friends or shoots somebody.
