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Wow, what a topic. First, I've got to say that not only did my son play video games and still does, but the whole family eventually started playing them. I've read all the pros and cons on this. I've even written articles on this. The one thing that I found to be the common denominator was how people were reacting to them.
There were a lot of games out there (and still are) that need to be walked around and carefully considered before you let your child start playing them. People were/are taking some of the games personally because of the violence and some of them didn't see any harm in them. That in itself is a double edged sword.
Let's look at why violent games are a danger to a child and what can be done with them? The first part of that question and the answer is a given. Violence is not an accepted part of out society. Is violence part of our human nature? Yes, but it is something that can be controlled. Do violent games contradict what we say and how we show our children that it's not a good thing to hurt someone? Absolutely. So, what can we as parents do about the violence in games? Simple, do not buy them. Can a child play a game elsewhere? You bet and there's no way a child isn't going to not want to see why Mom and Dad said no to a game.
The more violent games that are put on the black list only means one thing. The supply and demand goes up higher. So, who benefits from that? The gaming industry. Does the gaming rating help? Yes, and it gives the parent a heads up on the game and any parent, the on the ball parent, will know what to do after that.
The solution to this is really simpler than just not buying the game. Talk to your children about the game and the violence that is there. Remind them that the games are just a story. Tell them where you stand on the type of violence in the game and how you deal with it. Remind them how society, in real life, deals with violence. Ultimately, you have to let them make the decision on the game. They have to develop their moral values on their own.
Then again, you could always tell them it's educational games or nothing...lol
DCMerkle
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