As I was busy combing
the Internet and browsing through textbooks, some of my dorm mates
are busy playing Grand Theft Auto 5. The very controversial and
overly violent video game earned a whopping $800 million on the first
day of hitting the shelves and I must say that is pretty amazing. I
played for a few hours to check what they hype was all about and I
was soaked to the core with violence and the utter disregard for
human life as well as the moral laws of civilization. But I believe
that a layer was peeled from my eyes and I glimpsed the dark and dire
games played in the real world.
And then I remembered
an article I read somewhere about the perceived adverse impact of
violence and sexual depravity in video games, movies and other social
media devices on the growth and development of the youth today. Some
say that kids are more inclined to disobey rules and regulations
because they are trying to emulate what they see on television or
play on their computers. They feel that shooting people up is all fun
and games but people fail to see that they are troubled children who
need someone who truly understands their pain inside.
And violence per se as
well as the horrors and nightmares that come with it have echoed and
prevailed through the ages in many varied forms from both different
and familiar circumstances. Wars have been waged, countless lives
were lost and everything that we see today was built on the ground
where our forefathers bled and died. And it goes without saying that
all of these atrocious acts against humanity happened way before
television and video games were invented.
That is why I believe
that violence, malice and greed are just elements of the dark side of
human beings that transcends color, religious belief, political
inclination and gender. Do I think that violent video games and
movies corrupt the moral sensibilities of the youth by distorting
their sense of right and wrong? The facts are inconclusive but I
believe that parents can do a better job in making sure that their
kids really are all right.
If parents talk to
their children and show genuine concern for their life and welfare,
these kids wouldn't need to spend hours playing video games because
the real world is good enough for them. In my honest opinion, I think
video games are rad because of involving tales and some are actually
intellectually challenging. That is why kids get hooked when they get
more gratification playing characters in a virtual world rather than
being themselves in reality.
But as for me, I still
prefer reading books filled with hope and darkness intertwined over
mashing buttons on a controller all day. Hey, maybe books are the
reason behind all the violence across the channels of history. But
that is for another day because I need another dose of GTA V before
getting all my school stuff ready.
