Well, it definitely was a shock when I went to go watch the trailers for Bioshock. The graphics were excellent, and I can see why it was brought up as a piece of art. But, the violence in it was overwhelming. I am usually not bothered by violence, which is unfortunate because it really should bother us. But, the use of a child as weapon is pushing my limit of what is okay. Sending a child to kill others and using there innocence and naivety for your own advantage and use is wrong. Honestly, I struggle with the use of violence period. Kids need to understand the line of what is right and wrong in the world, and I think that it helps to break down the barrier associated with that. We grow used to things that we spend a lot of time around. I used to be EXTREMELY sensitive to swearing, and then I attended public school. At first, I would cringe every time that I heard a cuss word uttered. Eventually, I became immune to the words, though I personally did not speak them. This has become the standard for video games in this day in age. A video game is not considered "cool" or "worthy of playing" by most teenagers if there is not a couple of good explosions, people dying, or some sad backstory, the game will not be successful! This is a sad fact of the world. Why are we so fancinated with the idea of taking the life of someone else? That person had a life, a family, maybe children. We never consider the idea that the person sitting on the other side of the barrel, maybe is someone just like us. I think that is why people were up in arms about Kony and his army of children. Why aren't we that up in arms about a video game that uses a version of that reality? We enjoy being disturbed and scared so much that we push the limits of what that reality is. We gradually move away from innocence into a darker reality which disturbs us and confuses us even more. Until we realize that this is a spiral into a deeper and darker reality into which there is more grey area than there is black and white. The Bible states 10 commandments. One in particular stands out. Love God and love others as He first loved you. How much loving can you do when holding a gun to a child's head? Yes, it is virtual reality. But, it is just that, a twisted version of our reality.
I think I have to disagree with you here.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I can understand your reaction to the violence of the game, it is really a game that you have to play in order to understand the nuances of the game.
Much like a controversial film, it cannot be properly judged without viewing it first.