Violence in video games gets bad rap: is it as bad as people think?

When it comes to playing video games, everyone and their grandmother seem to have an opinion, especially when it comes to determining an acceptable amount of violence. Many feel that violent content in the various forms of media is highly overrated-people simply worry too much.

I myself, on occasion, feel the need to mercilessly massacre hundreds of individuals; regardless of their species, race or sex. It humors me. Yet, I do this virtually instead of taking my violent tendencies out on the real world. Instead, I hone and focus my anger and frustration into a more constructive form.

Video games of such violent genres often unjustly bear the brunt of attacks stating them as the cause for violent outbursts in children. Many people, including the media, seem to jump at any violent act which might somehow relate back to the playing of violent video games. Their portrayal of these violent games infecting the children's minds is eye catching and prone to striking fear in the hearts of parents. It reminds me of a similar attack on a now nearly archaic game of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).

After D&D became extremely popular, the media went after it as though it were made of gold. They said it was a form of witchcraft. They claimed our own God-loving children were being coerced into satanic worship, casting hexes, spells and other incantations to appease their evil master. In all reality, D&D was none of the above. Instead, it was merely a well thought out, very inventive game filled with dragons, wizards and an assortment of other well-crafted creatures.

Video games offer a unique portal into the world of make-believe. They allow us to break away from the monotony of everyday life. People get bored with the mundane. They need adventure, action - something to spice up their lives. Video games offer them that. I mean let's face it. How often in an average, everyday work day do you get to unload a shotgun into a flesh eating zombie while simultaneously searching for the lost helpless maiden and totally looking cool while doing it? Never.

"I play video games to relieve stress; also, you can learn to communicate strategies and teamwork as well. These are all thing greatly needed in the common business world," sophomore Eric Branstetter said.

Video games too, can offer children valuable life lessons. Team work and strategy planning are rewarded in many of the multiplayer online games.

Games challenge the players to question their views of what actions are deemed morally right and morally wrong. They awake within us our semi-dormant survival mode; the fight or flight instinct which guides nearly all of our actions. Simply put, they keep us on our toes.

This need to survive and the adrenaline rush associated with it are expressed in a completely harmless way. One player is fighting virtually against a horde of virtual enemies who desire nothing less than to rip the virtual player limb from limb. The whole experience can create quite an intense interaction; one that might be comparable to the feelings felt by those who play sports.

These players take their battlefield after enduring long, hard hours training and honing their skills to as close to perfection as they can physically muster. They fight the other opponent or enemy to see who has the best skills. Then, after the battle has ended, the losing team will return home to nurse their wounds and the winner goes on to fight in the next skirmish.

"Without video games, a person doesn't have many chances to do things like slay dragons and rescue princesses, and there aren't many people out there who are going to be able to play pro football regularly. Video games provide a way for people to enjoy themselves, whilst doing things that aren't always normal," sophomore Travis Kuster said.

Many students feel that video games are unjustly deserving the bad rap the media portrays them as having. They provide individuals with competition, skill building, teamwork and harmless entertainment. So back off media, and let us gamers take the field.