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Video Games = Real Life?
The issue about violent video games causing alot of violence issues, as described by the NRA, has always made my head hurt. My generation is supposedly hardened to violence and desensitized to killing and bloodshed. I would say that it is the extact opposite of that for almost all of the generation, expect for a few, "good ol' boys" and those sligthly off their rockers to begin with.
I had a friend who lived in Pittsburgh all his life go rabbit hunting with me over last fall. He was a "gamer", even made money doing it, and was very much into the idea of going hunting with a real "boomstick like they use to clear rooms in Call of Duty" (his words). After a full day of familization at the family farm learning the basics of how not to shoot himself in the foot (he had a strange desire to shoot a 12g pump from the hip, I let him once and I don't think his keen on the idea now...), we took the beagles out. About 20 minutes into the hunting, we had a rabbit on the running, with the dogs bringing it in a nice loop right to my friend. He ended up so frazzled he missed the 10 yd shot, so I closed the deal ( the dogs never like letting on get away, they like the livers too much). The rabbit was twitching when we walked up to it and I've never seen a guy turn so white so quick. Field dressing left him swaying and finally leaning over, holding a turn, as he reexiperenced breakfast.
I have run into many of my generation who fall into this pattern. Take them to a slaughterhouse and they do the same thing. While they might have a "tolerance" of graphic death scenes in movies or video games, these things are far removed from way in which most act in real-life senarios. Hardcore gamers usually blaunch in the face of the physical realm and most have never and will never fire a weapon that isn't on a screen.
So in the end, I just wonder if video games actually cause any real damage or if the violent are violent, using enviromental factors in any form they come in a "cause" for their disturbed acts. Taking away violent video games, which is as impractical as removing violence from books or TV, will only result in more laws and wasted money with no precievable results, IMHO.
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