--Original published at HarrysCollegeBlog
Video Gaming as a whole can have many reasons why people are drawn to play them, whether they are to escape reality’s harshness, or just to have a fun time playing the game. Even before video games existed, violence did. Violence has existed much before we have, and it still will. Video games, although may be a contributing factor to the rise of violence, are not necessarily the only reason. A game can be violent, and graphic, but without the factor of fun, it looses its meaning. We play video games because we find them to be fun, and plenty of people who play violent video games don’t end up committing crimes.
The Main contributing factor is how people are raised. If they are raised under bad conditions such as child abuse, alcoholic parents, then they might be more inclined to violence. These also can lead to them finding video games as a way to escape reality’s harshness, but more often than not, they become more addicted to the game, than their desire to do harm, as that desire is fulfilled by the violent game they are playing. Gaming can be cathartic, despite its violent nature, and its better to ensure a happy, safe environment with good parents than focusing on banning video games.