History of Violence

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.