Games Violence Debate Lampooned by Web Comic

Should point out the "2001" on the comic, folks. I've had it up in my cubicle for some time too.

Anyone who believes that violent media directly causes violence in society is deluded. Yes, it is true that media influences us by shaping our thoughts and feelings and gives us ideas an inspiration BUT it is up to the individual who consumes that media whether or not to take the ideas and inspirations brought from that media to real actions. This is where media differs from truely harmful things like alcohol and cigerettes which are rightfully regulated.

If you drink enough booze, you'll get drunk. You can't choose to drink shot of rye after rye and not get drunk from doing so. It's beyond your control.

If you smoke cigerettes, you have a high chance of getting health related problems like cancer and Emphysema. You can't choose to smoke and not get those problems. It's beyond your control.

If a person play violent video game after violent video game, it COULD shape his or her thoughts and feeling in a negative manner BUT that person chooses to turn those thoughts and feeling into actions. It is totally in that person control.
 

Essencially if we were to restrict or censor Free Speech because some individual out there could be negatively effected by some book, movie, song or video game then we might as well just amend the constitution to remove that part of the First Amendment altogether because the sole purpose of Free Speech is that is does shape our thoughts and feelings and gives us ideas and inspirations and the government should not be able to interfere with this. If they did, it would be in essence a form of mind and thought control (by withholding the flow of ideas, information, messages, opinons and viewpoints from the public) which in the hands of government can end up very, very dangerous.

Yes exept for the fact that no one will admit that one of the major stress relievers in our society today for our more violently attuned, though not violently acting, country men and women is to fire up the system, find your favorite wargame and with the power of your IMAGINATION fire a full clip of Fam-as rounds into a pixlated [insert name here] while shouting "You want the report!? Here's your f***ing report!" And when that's all out of your system, calling your mates, and hitting the bars.

So yes, let's take away all of the stress relief of popping a cap in your bosses virtual ass and give everyone guns. Then when that day finally comes, when you just gotta "fix the problem". You can always claim EED (Extreme Emotional Disturbance) or throw an insanity plea up at your murder 2 trial.

Much love

~Zephemus