You're right, I have taken the example a bit out of context. It's a cause and effect thing - but sometimes it's hard to tell which is the cause and which is the effect.
I'm sure that, given the right guidance, your kids won't grow up to be idle, sadistic escapists. I am talking about an extreme situation here, a product of years of neglect, and as well, IMHO, one could argue that it is partly "society's fault".
The fact remains, many computer games are ultra-violent. When I played DOOM for the first time, with headphones on, I was quite shocked by the rattle of the machine guns, the gore, the screams of the dying monsters, etc. I don't feel that anymore - why? Possibly because I have been desensitised to violence to some extent. Which is not necessarily a good thing. And now we have even more realistic violence in computer games... where does it all lead?
Nobody has mentioned here that many computer games
use extreme violence. People are not born with an instinct to kill - it takes practice to break down the barriers against homicide. In the military, they start with a bullseye, then you shoot at a human shaped target, then eventually using blanks against other teams. Video games are training a generation to "shoot to kill" at human-looking targets.
Personally I don't play computer games, and haven't played them since the day I started my computing degrees. I can't stand the thought of playing computer games in my limited recreational time after a day of sitting in front of the screen. An old friend of mine is now a game addict (yes, addict - escapism is an addictive pursuit) and it makes me sad to see a young life deteriorate into eating, pot-smoking and gaming.
As for the "creative thinkers of tomorrow" or whatever, I'd say those kids would be better off studying and learning something about the real world, whether the learning is directed by school or self-motivated. There's still plenty of wisdom in books.
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You're right, I have taken the example a bit out of context. It's a cause and effect thing - but sometimes it's hard to tell which is the cause and which is the effect.
I'm sure that, given the right guidance, your kids won't grow up to be idle, sadistic escapists. I am talking about an extreme situation here, a product of years of neglect, and as well, IMHO, one could argue that it is partly "society's fault".
The fact remains, many computer games are ultra-violent. When I played DOOM for the first time, with headphones on, I was quite shocked by the rattle of the machine guns, the gore, the screams of the dying monsters, etc. I don't feel that anymore - why? Possibly because I have been desensitised to violence to some extent. Which is not necessarily a good thing. And now we have even more realistic violence in computer games... where does it all lead?
Nobody has mentioned here that many computer games use extreme violence. People are not born with an instinct to kill - it takes practice to break down the barriers against homicide. In the military, they start with a bullseye, then you shoot at a human shaped target, then eventually using blanks against other teams. Video games are training a generation to "shoot to kill" at human-looking targets.
Personally I don't play computer games, and haven't played them since the day I started my computing degrees. I can't stand the thought of playing computer games in my limited recreational time after a day of sitting in front of the screen. An old friend of mine is now a game addict (yes, addict - escapism is an addictive pursuit) and it makes me sad to see a young life deteriorate into eating, pot-smoking and gaming.
As for the "creative thinkers of tomorrow" or whatever, I'd say those kids would be better off studying and learning something about the real world, whether the learning is directed by school or self-motivated. There's still plenty of wisdom in books.