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What you should
know about video game violence Video
games have emerged as very popular entertainment, with 70 percent of children
living in a home with at least one video game player and 33 percent have one
in their bedrooms. In 2003,
$7 billion was spent in the United States on video and computer games. Since
the days of PacMan (a favorite video game to those now in their mid- to late
30s), video games have grown increasingly realistic and violent. Worse, they are
often available to young teens whose parents don’t understand what they are
playing. Several
games are especially graphically violent. “Grand Theft Auto 3,” for example,
rewards players for stealing cars, assaulting
police, and beating sex workers.
Another version of this video game, “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,”
calls for killing Haitians. This video earned $260 million in its first year
of release. The game “Carmageddon” has players run down pedestrians,
including elderly women; completing all levels of this game requires killing
33,000 people. What parents do not realize is that games like these become
more violent as players advance
to new levels of the game, based on their improved scores. The
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the American
Psychological Association have issued a joint statement on the impact of
entertainment violence on children, saying that “exposure to violence in
media…[and] video games…contribute[s] to aggressive behavior, desensitization
to violence, nightmares and fear[s] of being harmed.” The two
students responsible for the 1999 Columbine high school shooting and the
17-year-old Washington, D.C., sniper played video games featuring violence.
In June 2003, two boys decided to shoot at trucks on Interstate 40 in
Tennessee, just as in the video game “Grand Theft Auto 3.” The
interactive entertainment industry has sales of $10 billion annually, not
including sales for game development, licensing,
or hardware. The industry takes little responsibility for what is available,
though it has developed a voluntary rating system to help parents evaluate
games. The rating system covers things such as alcohol, blood and gore,
drugs, gambling, nudity, and intense violence, but lacks descriptors demeaning
women and minorities. In addition, retailers have not been careful about
selling mature-rated violent
games to minors. Why is this important? Interactive
video entertainment that treats violence as a game is part of a culture of
violence pervading our society. In 1999, the ELCA affirmed its support for
the Decade for a Culture of Nonviolence (2001-2010) with special attention to
children and youth. In its
message on Community Violence (1994), the ELCA said, “Many of the young, who
previously were sheltered from exposure to violence, are now not only
‘entertained’ by violence, but increasingly are both its victims and
perpetrators.” When they perpetuate stereotypes, violent solutions to
community problems, and disrespect for life, video games are a hazard to the
spiritual, emotional, and social health of children and youth. What congregations can do As part
of their ministry to children as well as their support for nonviolence, congregations
can play an important role in addressing violent video games. They may: • help parents and guardians
evaluate the suitability of video games and
encourage them to talk to their children
about them • as part of church school,
vacation Bible school, and other activities for
children and youth, talk about video games
and how the message they convey meshes with
the Scripture’s message of honoring
and respecting life • study the ELCA’s message on
Community Violence. Single complimentary copies are available by calling
800/638- 3522, ext. 2996; also available
at http://www.elca.org/socialstatements/violence/ • write to manufacturers, asking
for more accountability in terms of what
they produce (see below). How the ELCA is addressing
this The ELCA
churchwide organization is addressing increased violence in video games by
joining other faith-based organizations in
asking corporations to assume greater responsibility for education about and
enforcement of rating systems and guidelines that are applicable to violent
interactive videos. The ELCA
is doing this through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, an
advocacy ministry conducted by the Division for Church in Society.
Information on this campaign, as well as a grassroots letter-writing response,
can be found at the Web site of the Interfaith Center for Corporate
Responsibility at http://www.iccr.org/issues/violence/featured.php Resources For information
and resources, check out these Web sites: • American Academy of Pediatrics (http://www.aap.org/) especially,
“The Rating Game” • American Psychological
Association (http://www.apa.org/),
especially, “Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression” • National Institute on Media and
the Family • Parent Teacher Association (http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/healthsafety/crisis/sgyc/sychom.asp
- Dealing) From Seeds for the Parish, March –
April 2005, http://www.elca.org/co/seeds/2005/MarApril05web.pdf |
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