Of course, the findings coming through and the anecdotes being told about Lanza’s short life should not bring us to the conclusion that anyone playing violent video games will end up spraying bullets into crowds, as most players do not. But at the same time, we should consider the impact of such games on the minds of children — some, perhaps, too young to fully make a distinction between the cyber world and reality. There are plenty of studies detailing how excessive exposure to video games can damage minds, not only by building the idea that killing is acceptable but also by acting to reduce attention span and the capacity to concentrate.
This is specially relevant to us. Yes, Sandy Hook School in Connecticut is a long, long way away; yes, we have, mercifully, not seen massacres without motive on the lines of those that take place in the US. However, there is no doubt that, perhaps, due to a lack of other entertainment, video games are immensely popular here. We see even very young children engaged in them for hours on computer screens or even mobile phones. Such, of course, is modern life. Nonetheless, parents need to be more aware of the grotesque content of some games and consider whether they are appropriate for children. The lack of awareness on this count can lead to all kinds of hidden dangers in a society where we already have a growing acceptance for death, which comes in so many different ways to people living in a land where bombs and bullets form a part of daily life.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2012.
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