Videogames + Bullying

Well, to begin. The documentary, while very interesting, had some major flaws. To begin the "girls games" was incredibly sexist. The got the whole idea wrong! Trying to make a place for in games for women, so they don't feel "left out," because they couldn't possibly enjoy "violent" games, was just offensive. Maybe that wasn't their aim, but as a "girl gamer" I found it offensive.

But, on to bullying! I think that saying we can't call the other characters "people" may be incorrect. The whole point of video games is to feel immersed.  In the documentary, one of the people playing  a game stated "We're shooting each other." People often refer to the avatars as "me." So naturally, the other characters become "people." If we get so immersed in a game we begin to see ourselves in the avatar, is it that big of a leap that the characters become "people"? I am inclined to say no. That's the power of games -- to feel like you're a part of a different world. If they didn't do that, it wouldn't be such a successful industry.

Are you actually killing literal "people" when you play a game? No. But it may feel real enough where it feels like you are. Maybe.

I think that video games definitely have an effect on violence. Just as if a child watches his father beat up his mother, he may handle his anger in similar ways. Some children, especially young children, are very susceptible to being taught things. I think we can all agree that a 5 year old should not be playing Mortal Kombat. It's just not appropriate.

I think it can lead for children to be more aggressive  Are they going to become psycho killers? Slim chance, and if they did, it's not because of the video games.But it could lead to some more aggressive behavior, as the see in video games. The video game Bully, in fact, makes the player a bully in school! The message doesn't have another way of looking at it. Here's an article that discusses this game, and opinions on it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576078/Video-game-glorifies-bullying-say-critics.html

While I don't think video games should be banned by any means, some violence in games is just absurd. In a world where bullying is a major problem in our society, I do think caution needs to be exercised with children playing games.