Editor's Note

The following text is an e-mail exchange between Aaron McKenna, editor of Tom's Hardware Guide, UK & Ireland; and Rob Wright, managing editor of TwitchGuru. The two editors and gaming fans decided to debate the hot-button issue of video game violence, tossing their opinions and insights across the Atlantic Ocean like a game of Internet volleyball. Here's what they had to say.

RW: Aaron, I have a confession to make, just between you and me. I'm concerned about video game violence.

There, I said it (or wrote it, whatever). I'm concerned, and it's kind of a weird feeling. Being a freedom-loving journalist and a strong opponent of censorship, I've always been entrenched on one side of the debate.

Movies and video games don't kill people - people kill people. I hated the critics and their loudmouth whining. I had been playing video games for years, and while I have my issues, I've never re-enacted a video game killing in real life. In fact, very few people have. I defended the Grand Theft Auto titles, not because I liked the games (I don't), but because I viewed them as harmless fun, and feel that Rockstar Games has the right to make money by entertaining people. Any adolescent born with a conscience and raised reasonably well by his parents should be able to tell the difference between a game and reality, and should have a moral compass efficient to avoid anti-social behavior.

Now I'm not so sure. What if a kid isn't raised properly by his parents? What if he or she doesn't have two parents, and sits in front of the television five hours a day playing first person shooter games or running down innocent people in a stolen car? Suddenly, that kid is being reared in a fantasy world with no morality or consequences, and there are a lot of studies and research today that show that such long term play can have adverse behavioral effects.

I used to think other people's kids weren't my problem. But that kid could be my unborn child's classmate someday, and when that kid is hating life and decides to go on a kill-crazy rampage at school, what then? Can we honestly say games had nothing to do with it? I'm just not so sure anymore. What do you think?

Rob

P.S. This is just between you and me, right?

AM: Hey Rob. You know, I think that you're turning into a family man. The concerns you're raising are very real ones for parents, or for those considering becoming parents. But I think that coming from the background of videogames in the first place, you're a very good example of the conservative knee-jerk that happens when you have a couple of kids.

Obviously their safety, well being and upbringing are foremost in your mind. You don't want them to be touched by violence, either from playing violent videogames or through experiencing it from a peer who does. But I think that the shift towards censorship and careful control of the videogame industry is an entirely unnecessary one.

Before videogames came along it was the MTV generation that got it in the neck for watching violent movies and risqué TV. But on balance I don't think that they've grown up any worse off than those who came before them.

This paternal urge to protect one's children has instead been artificially stoked up by the media, who are always out to sell a scare story. And then you can add to that politicians who are always out to win a few easy votes by telling people what they want to hear, and then offering a solution to the fictional problem.

For every case in which a kid has gone on a murderous rampage, for example, the media has picked up straight away on the fact that the person played violent videogames. They ignore other "minor" facts such as the overall mental state of the person, whether or not they were on drugs (prescribed or otherwise) and so on. Screaming "Videogames killed our kids!!!" from the rooftops sells more papers and entices more people to tune in. Then you have the armies of politicos following in their wake to condemn whatever is fashionable to condemn these days in order to win a few votes.

As much as it's possible in your position, think about it rationally. If we followed up on every piece of media "advice" concerning the safety of our children we wouldn't let them out of their rooms for 18 years.

Aaron