Shooting people in real life isn't a very viable option -- there are way too many repercussions. So, people turn to another form of media to do it. Here, you can shoot as many people as you want, without any repercussions! In fact, killing more people is encouraged and even praised. Another plus is that it also prepares you for the real world. When you ultimately get drafted to fight in a war, you'll be dominating on the battlefield. It trains you to make split-second decisions in real life. It improves your reflexes immensely, so if you get shot at in real life, you'll be able to flick and BANG -- headshot, instakill. Not only that, but if you're really good at this, you can get paid handsome amounts of mula by letting people simply watch you play.
Sound familiar? I'm talking about the world of videogames and esports. In fact, about a quarter of all videogame sales in 2016 were first-person shooter games. And by my experience on Twitch, they are definitely the most popular genre of videogames played (or watched) by the general population. Now 25% may not seem like much, but consider this: 1 in 4 teenage gamers regularly play games that involve shooting someone's head off. Does this put things into perspective for you?
Now I also play FPS games, and when I play, I think mainly about one thing: getting kills. But sometimes, when I take a step back to think about my videogames in general, it really blows my mind (figuratively, thank god) that I casually kill people in a violent, online world. This has obviously been a topic of controversy before, and I believe that there is no correlation between violent videogames and violent acts in real life. However, it just seems so incredulous that a genre based off of killing and violence and shooting is so popular in today's society. Like, how did they even invent shooter games?
Oh, let's make a game where you kill other human beings for fun. Good idea, I'm sure many people will take pleasure in tapping heads! Maybe its the dopamine rush from the sound of getting a kill, maybe its the satisfaction of winning a match, or maybe its just the primitive side of humans hungry for blood (jk). One thing's for sure though: playing shooting games is incredibly fun and satifsying (for reasons unknown to me), and I won't be stopping anytime soon.
Hey Shriya!
ReplyDeleteI remember watching this Jubilee Middle Ground video a couple months ago about gun control in the United States. Half of the people in the room had been in at least one (one guy had been in FOUR) active shooter situations, and had lost people they knew in active shooter situations. AND STILL, they ALL supported owning guns, using guns, not enacting *normal, sane* gun control legislation. America's obsession with weaponry and shooting people is a little concerning, to be frank, and I think it might begin as early as five year olds using FPS video games.
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ReplyDeleteThere are so many videogames like these that are promoted nearly every where on social media. It's ironic, that guns are deemed as a weapons and are dangerous yet the purpose of these types of first person shooting video games are to kill as many enemies to win an award. Now that social media is everywhere and technology is much more simpler to access, it will be more easier to influence kids who don't know any better -- which is kind of scary.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, there isn't a causation between violent video games, only a correlation. There is indisputable evidence that active shooters are often individuals that indulge in FPS video games. However, this doesn't mean that everyone that plays these games have an increased likelihood of becoming shooters. Nonetheless, if America wants to decrease the number of shootings, we need to target the source of these shootings: guns and mental health issues. Less resources should be utilized to finding the connection between violent video games and shootings and more regulations have to be passed on gun control.
ReplyDelete“ there are way too many repercussions” - is this the only thing stopping you from killing people in real life?
ReplyDeleteI also have enjoyed FPS games, and I feel like while they don’t correlate with real violence, they are a vent for humanity’s primitive side. People watch horror movies to feel that primal thrill of fear, after all. They also climb mountains, go skydiving, and engage in many other real-life dangerous activities. If fear of death is an animal instinct and makes people feel alive, there’s no reason our animal nature wouldn’t also make us more inclined towards violence and bloodshed, even if it is virtually.
I have thought about this subject a lot too. As I have found it sort of odd that society both loves fps games, but hates gun violence, it is a moral dilemma. Does enjoying killing people online influence anyone's mindset? Do murderers start their stream of consciousness from childhood videogames? I feel as though children 14 and below should not be as heavily influences by gun violence, but of course, media pushes these games among the most vulnerable, which are those children under 14. Great work this week!
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