Rockstar games/mctViolent video games are believed to be causes of crime amongst teenagers. U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-III.) is the leading force behind ending the vulgarity in video games.
Rush, a former Black Panther, believes the lyrics in music and graphic scenes depicted in video games create a new mind-set for the youth of America. “A car pulls up to me on the intersection,” Rush said in a interview with the Chicago Tribune, ” I hear the profanity [from the car stereo]. I hear the degrading words about women. I hear the misogyny. And then I see the aberrant behavior from these same kind of people. there’s a connection.”
Jack Thompson, a Florida attorney and activist, is famous for creating a campaign against video game creators. He claims these graphic designers are creating “murder simulators” and educating the youth on hate and crime. In an interview with Anderson Cooper, Thompson said, “Many parents think stores won’t sell an M-Rated game to someone under 17. We know that’s not true, and, in fact, kids roughly 50 percent of the time, all the studies show, are able to walk into any store and get any game regardless of the rating, no questions asked.”
EB Games has taken the approach that it’s the parent’s decision to decide what’s appropriate for their children.
“The ESRB rating system is designed to give parents the information they need to evaluate a computer or video game before making a purchasing decision. The ratings are not meant to recommend which games consumers should buy or rent or to serve as the only basis for choosing a product. Rather, parents should use the ESRB ratings in conjunction with their own tastes and standards and their individual knowledge about what’s best for their kids,” EB Games’ Rating Policy states on their website.
“I hate it [violence in video games], but sometimes it can be fun,” Ben Ferguson, a sophomore Spanish major, said, “I like Grand Theft Auto and driving around hitting people. However, I think parents should watch what their kids are playing.”
“An actual link that video games are the cause of violence has yet to be proven. If anything, scenes depicted in video games are replications of real life events,” Justin Verterano, a North Hunterdon High School student and former interviewee on Attack of the Show’s G4 TV, said, “It’s not anything worse than you would see on shows like Law & Order and the news. You don’t see anyone going after those shows!”
Rush and Thompson will be continuing their campaigns to end violence in video games. Rush is simply looking for a better depiction of African Americans in society. He is fed up with seeing them portrayed as “violent thugs.”
Thompson is looking for an end to violence all together. He feels the graphics are completely unnecessary and hopes to see it end soon.
“I feel like video game violence does not interfere with someone’s outside life,” Bobby Iocco, a sophomore business major, said, “The violence stays in the video game.”
