A Gamers Defense

When I get to work in the morning I have a little routine to get things going. Some people need their morning coffee. Others like to check the scores of last nights games and such. I like to hit a set of webpages and comics like CAD, VGCats, Enpwnment, Flintlock, Daily Newspaper Comics at Yahoo.

Flintlock, Enpwnment, CAD and VGCats are webcomics devoted to gamers like me and have a humor that I appreciate, if not always clean in language or topic. Normaly, I just get to enjoy the nuttiness for a few minutes in the morning but today their was a post along with the comic. The post was a rant on the topic of violence and sexual content of games. The hostility coming from the gamers need to defend what they live and love as well as the (at times) misplaced blame from those arguing against the games creation or use. Seems obvious, but when you have passion for something obvious isn't always enough. I'm sure we can all understand that in some sense.

The opposition tended early on to not have a clue what was going on and consequently based opinions on hearsay and ridiculous claims. Throwing blame to anyone in an attenpt to get people to listen. Now they have come to an understanding that games are not inherantly evil and corrupting but that some games (especially in the past 5 years) have little good to offer the youth. They make the reasonable claim that a child without proper guidance who plays such a game will indeed take part of that game with him/her. No, it is not likely that the child will gun down or run down random people, but it is true that we all have taken in the games we play, more-so the ones we loved. People do this, we take in the things we love, movies, music, art, literature, games. Though most would never put soemthing as violent as modern gaming to actual use it is foolish to think someone out there won't. That is the basis for the oppositions argument in a nutshell. Are they right? Yes, it is astonishing how many parents offer no active guidance today. Some try but are not themselves capable others simply aren't interested enough in their duties to their family. Sad but true. Where will these children turn? For the sake of the topic we say they turn to games, but they do turn to many things. These "things" aren't conserned with their futures or their present circumstances, but the children don't know what they need until it's often to late.

Gamers, in general, who defend against such seemingly obvious truths argue that they should not be made to "suffer" for the screwups of others. They value their abiblity to have the things they like so much that they would allow harm to come to others over it. The "funny" thing is that most of these gamers wouldn't be effected by these rating systems that have been instituted. Yet they fight. Because they love the cause. On the other hand they are not wrong to say that blame lies with the gaurdians of and mental health of the child gamers. A truly involved parent can take a few minutes to quietly watch the game the child plays or do a little research on it. The involved parent should be able to acuratly gauge the childs state and needs. IMO. Ans so the defense is not without reason of its own.

In the end (IMO) it is just a shame that people would rather fight to defend something which is potentialy damaging or dangerous to others. Are games like Doom3 and GTA:SA corrupting? No doubt. But those who love games and those who love what they call freedom will warp such ideals to keep the floodgates open. In the meanwhile parents will continue to assume little responsability for actions of their children which could have been effected and bettered by them. It is very much the wasteful human fight considering neither side (again in general) wants to see the big picture or give more than an inch. Their are many on both sides who see the middle and the truth of the situation but such views are often over shadowed by the squeakier wheel. >[/End Rant] =P