A Response to "Operation: Violence"

Link can be found here: http://chloesmc305.blogspot.ca/2012/03/operation-violence.html

In your blog you discuss the debate as to whether or not violence is natural or cultural. I completely agree with you with respect to your claim that video games are not the only source for causing violent behaviour. I feel that a violent side is not attributed to whether or not one would like to explore it but rather how one can control their violent urges, so to speak. When we become angry or frustrated and try to strangle the controller, we often here others say "relax...calm down". The ability to control our emotions determines whether or not we express ourselves through violent means. I also believe that people are not born as 'violent' beings but rather become violent or having violent tendencies because of "things that you experience outside of your video games". Having negative experiences with people around you or dramatic/traumatic life events can predispose people to express their frustration through violent means. A relevant and appropriate argument, which was proposed in class, involves this notion of catharsis, or the purging of negative emotions through the medium of the video game.

That being said, it is important to put video gaming in perspective, as it is just a game. To make an argument against Christians playing video games is similar to saying Christians are not allowed to watch violent movies or violent shows. Since we discussed the increased amount of violence in hockey two weeks ago, I presume that Christians will not be allowed to watched hockey every again.

It is important to consider video games for what they are - a source for entertainment. Although I am not much of a video gamer, I sometimes indulge in a bit of Call of Duty. The effectiveness, power, and appeal of video games lies in its ability not only to 'awe' the gamer but also to remove them from reality into another 'world'. Gamers can spend hours upon hours playing because they are essentially 'caught up' in the game. They are so immersed, captivated, and mesmerized that they fail to recognize how long they have been actually playing for.