That’s your choice
I was being somewhat facetious and tongue in cheek. Perhaps that didn’t translate well in text form
Apologies
True but like other media, games do have age ratings for a reason. When gaming was “new” people largely ignored said ratings.
Naivety perhaps. I don’t know.
I don’t think it’s a good idea for children to be playing online shooters or Call or Duty or whatever. Most if not all such titles are rated R18 (in Australia at least) for a reason. Unfortunately with technology being the way it is, perhaps that’s a bit harder to control.
I don’t know. Theatre often involves direct audience participation. Especially children’s theatre.
I can agree that violent media is not a good idea to involve children in though.
Regardless of the distribution model.
But that’s why games have rating systems like all visual mediums. That they are not followed is usually down to poor supervision of minors. Which can be understandable in some scenarios (long working hours causing difficulty, children being very tech savvy or even just folks with friends whose parents are much more relaxed.)
Perhaps
Still seems a bit too “easy” thing to point to. Since gaming titles are as broad as books are. In many gaming titles empathy is actually the point of the exercise, even in very violent games, actively rewarding players for teamwork and problem solution.
Though I can certainly see such responses being elicited in “dumb shooter” titles
Not always. Like all media there is a wide variety in gaming. Some actively asking the player to sympathise more with victims of violence. But I suppose in first person shooters specifically you’re correct.
But for instance in many comic books, aimed for younger audiences, it’s simply “the bad guys getting beat up by the good guys” a lot of the time. With kids being encouraged to look up to heroes or even actively emulate said heroes. Even though said heroes will often have to resort to violence. Imagining themselves in the shoes of their heroes, punching folks out and being discouraged to have any empathy for the villains, is often the point for little kids enjoying media.
That changes as the age range increases though.
Indeed having more sympathy for the shooter rather than the victim isn’t technically isolated to gaming. Gaming just goes the next step since it’s more immersive by default. That may very well change in the future as technology becomes more and more immersive. I can certainly see people actively taking a role in stories, using VR.
And indeed just like one can point to plenty of examples in other media having black and white outcomes, one can point to plenty that don’t. Including in violent video games. A wide variety of storytelling techniques are found in gaming just like in all other media. Many designed to expressly elicit empathy for both sides and get one to think about a wide variety of themes. But that’s typically found in media aimed at a slightly older crowd to begin with.
I mean that’s what it always appeared like to me from the outside
(Not American so mass shootings are rare where I live.)
First it was movies turning kids evil, then it was comic books, TV, Harry Potter and D’n’D encouraging Satanism etc etc.
Maybe US gun culture and lack of mental health services may be large contributing factors as well?
Well that I can actually agree with.
You’d be surprised. Why do you think I had the response I had initially? Because all the media I have liked is always the first to be blamed by some folks who just want an easy scapegoat. Not saying you were trying to do that.
Just that it’s common
Geeks and nerds have had their backs against the wall for generations now. Because their hobbies always make for easy targets. Even artists have largely been blamed for causing misery in society.