Sex, Violence, and Videogames

So apparently the repeated public humiliation of Jack Thompson has not quite driven the message home to those who still insist that violent videogames are entirely responsible for the violence in our children and that the supposedly rampant sex is degrading the fragile morals of our youth and creating a generation of sluts and womanizers.

First off, this is ridiculous; there is no single cause for either of those problems. To place the blame entirely on videogames is to neglect the impact of the same elements in television, film, and interpersonal interactions within the home itself of the child in question. This is not to say that I condone or am downplaying the violence and sex in videogames and their impact on children, but rather that there are much stronger influences that need to be addressed.

For example, take the hype over the “sex scene” in a recent videogame, Mass Effect. People went CRAZY over this, so it must be terribly graphic! Well, lets watch and find out…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NragL5-7Mvo

Oh my, how scandalous! Not only is it sex, but that version had it between two girls! Now videogames are promoting homosexuality too! Before we gather up our torches and pitchforks and go after the perverts who placed this in a video game rated M, let us view another staggeringly popular sex scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpjZO3elaVM

Look familiar? Why yes ladies and gents, it’s from Titanic, a film rated PG 13. I first saw this when I was a tender 10 years old, with my 6 year old little sister sitting beside me on the couch. Scores of other children the same age as I saw it also, sending elementary school into a Leonardo DiCaprio frenzy.

A video game with a rating of M cannot be purchased by anyone under the age of 16 and requires a valid form of ID if there is any suspicion, I know because at 20 years old I have been carded for M rated games. A PG 13 movie, however, can be picked up by anyone with enough money to buy it. Due to the ease with which sexy/violent movies can be purchased and viewed, it is difficult for parents to control whether or not their offspring has access to it. If, however, an M rated game gets into the hands of a child, preteen, or teenager below the age of 16, it is most likely because the parent or an aunt/uncle made it possible. God forbid, however, that the parent be held responsible for allowing this.

Another popular claim is that the effect of violence in video games on malleable young minds is too much and that the children can’t tell reality from fiction. I’m sorry, but does anyone else remember The Power Rangers or The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Ok, what about The Power Puff Girls? Those are meant for kids between the ages of 5 and 10, and yet they are innocent when it comes to the violence in children?

I have a brilliant and unique new idea: PARENT YOUR FUCKING CHILDREN. If you don’t want them watching violent shows or playing violent videogames, then don’t let them. If you’re worried that they don’t understand the difference between fantasy and reality, sit them down and talk to them about it. Or better yet, tone down the sex and violence in your own home and see what a miraculous effect that has. It’s sickening the way parents deny their responsibilities to their children and place the blame on external sources that are easily controlled. If little Tommy’s parents let him watch violent TV and play violent games, don’t let your kid go over to Tommy’s house.

And that ends my rant for the evening.