Questioning Video Games: Don’t Be a Naive Parent
As a parent of two, one still in college, my concept of computer games rests with some of the earliest creations. PacMan, Donkey Kong, and the bubbly Mario all graced our computer and television screens. My children enjoyed these games, fervently trying to improve upon past accomplishments as they sought the “next level”. These games, played individually or by two people together, were available to our children as a reward when other tasks were completed.
I am aware of the greater sophistication of some of today’s game offerings. I have played games on one of the biggest sellers, Sony’s PlayStation2, a system that offers an enormous array of interactive games. The staples of PlayStation2, the games that I am familiar with, are the games that combine graphic caricatures of real professional athletes with very authentic strategies, games that entice teenagers and grown-ups alike. Other popular game options include variations based on skateboarding, skiing stunts, and the obnoxious world of professional wrestling.
However, I was absolutely astonished to learn the details of the top game rental series, a set of games called Grand Theft Auto. These games are incredibly popular; in October and November of 2001 more than 635,000 copies of the gruesome Grand Theft Auto 3 were sold. Today, the latest version, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, is one of the most popular games on the GameSpot website, with its placement based on sales and interest in the game.
Grand Theft Auto is one of those fantasy games with graphics and interactive options that are so realistic that players claim to feel immersed in the world the game simulates. Using the joystick, you as the player control a virtual thug. You can have him rob a bank or bash into the rear end of a car plodding along too slowly. Your thug can pick up a baseball bat as he roams the streets of a virtual city. On impulse, you can have your thug take the bat and strike any of the pedestrians he encounters, be they unsuspecting elderly people minding their own business or street-walking prostitutes soliciting customers. As the player you can hijack cars, even police vehicles if you desire. You can go so far as to opt to run a crime-laden vigilante organization.
Basically, if it involves criminal-like behavior, the act is available to you as the player. This video game comes with a mature rating. It is definitely not for children. Then again, one might honestly ask: “Who is it for?”
At the time that Grand Theft Auto3 was the rage, Joanna Weiss of the Boston Globe published an article that featured interviews with some admitted aficionados. According to Ms. Weiss, a 23 year-old computer programmer from York, England acknowledged the enjoyment the game gave him, especially after a grueling day of work. He stated, “Some people play squash after work. I just squash pedestrians.”
An Emerson college freshmen reportedly called GTA3 more exciting than other shoot-em-ups. It’s a “different kind of violence,” she said, “because there’s no real good intent to any of it”.
As a parent and educator, I have tremendous difficulty understanding these comments. I also fail to comprehend what playing such games can do for the emotional psyche. The concept of an interactive game that involves violence against people is even more troubling than the movies of Hollywood. After all, the decision to make this rogue character act violently is based upon a conscious choice by the game player.
Though stunning in its brutality, the Grand Theft Auto series is available because of the freedoms granted in our country. In addition, it exists because our entrepreneurial spirit dictates that we will continue to make products the public wants, especially if 600,000 plus units can be sold in just two months.
The unconscionable acts available to the player in Grand Theft Auto are extremely troubling. I am horrified by the thought that there may be many parents who are completely unaware of the content of this game, or even that such games exist.
If you own a PlayStation2 or if your son or daughter frequents a home where such a station is available be inquisitive as to the game they are playing. Better yet, give each game a try yourself. Hopefully you will not find a game similar to the Grand Theft Auto or any other games of a questionable nature.
But if you do, be sure to consider its potential effect upon your child and others. In addition, please alert other parents in your peer group of these questionable games. The idea that the violent actions in these games would bring pleasure to game players is not one I would have ever considered.
If you are a parent of a teenager today you cannot afford to be as naive as I have been.
