MooseMan3000

I just noticed this now.


So I take it you believe Grand Theft Auto has "little redeeming value?" I'm curious, then, what your definition of redeeming value is, and why it is that you feel you can impose your ideals of value on everyone. I'm not going to tell you that "I play the game, but I'm not a psycho killer," because that's obviously not the point. The point is that our opinions of what has value are, obviously, quite divergent.

I generally won't reply to your posts, not out of malice, but because things that you find interesting I frequently find trite or useless. Clearly, you don't think the same thing, or you wouldn't write about them. I responded to this one because video games, particularly violent games, are dear to me, as I've grown up playing them.

I partially agree that we are a sum of the media we consume - as long as your definition of "media" includes family and group interactions. The fact is that violent games are a very large part of me. The key word in that sentence, however, is "game." In much the same way that many people associate themselves with watching, say, football with a group of friends, I enjoy playing games with my friends. It is simply part of my social interactions, not a definitive guide for my behavior.

I was prone to aggressive behavior as a child, but only since about age 15 have I been very heavily into games. According to that article, which provides vague references to "studies" (see: science, above), that is theage that playing violent games would have the most detrimental impact on me as a person. That is the time I joined my first online gaming clan, playing a game in which you shoot the other team to win. Since then, online gaming has been an important part of my life.

Speaking from experience, I know that playing a video game can be every bit as rewarding as winning a state championship. Being selected to play on an elite team is every bit as gratifying as learning that I've been accepted for a national honor choir. More important than all that, however, it's just plain fun. I've never had a better time than staying up all night eating junk food and playing games with a few of my close friends. Claiming that games of this sort have little or no redeeming value discounts their entire purpose - to entertain.

To me, nothing is more important than being happy. Without violent video games, I would be a lot less happy than I am. That's really all there is to it.