Lot of controversy around violent video games. I myself have generally always tried to steer clear of ones that I deemed too violent, with the exception of something more behind the violence that makes me look past it. However, two things can be said of games and some negative impacts. 1. They play a role in desensitizing people to violence, the same as what a lot of TV shows and movies do. 2. They can act as a trigger for mentally disturbed people. I wouldn't say that they are directly the root of somebody going on a rampage, but, combined with all the other various violent things in this day and age, they certainly help push them over the edge. I watched an interview on the news a while back with a kid who got life in prison for murdering his parents. He wasn't having a good time in school or at home, and then it started with him watching violent movies, listening to violent music, and then playing one particular violent game, a GTA game. With all these things around him, it's pretty easy to see why the sanity switch in his head got switched off. He listened, watched, and played every day for hours until he finally snapped. I've been a gamer since I played my first game, and I think I will be for a long while yet. But I recognize some of the awful things that are in video games today, and how there seems to be more and more than there was in the past. I'm not painting them out as the anti-christ in digital form as the media would have folks believe, as they have some fantastic qualities to them as well. And I'm sure a lot of people are like me. They understand the difference between games and reality. But there is one fact that everyone seems to overlook, and everyone seems to avoid. Games, are without a doubt, a form of social media and entertainment, and there's something to remember about social media and entertainment. Social media and entertainment is like a mirror. Trends, and popular things at the time with society go into the media because that's what the people want to see. They feed each other. Society likes this thing, media gives it to them. And over the course of a few decades, TV, News, Games, and all that stuff has gotten more bold with showing violent things. And eventually, the media didn't have to poke and prod tidbits of violence at people, because it became something common to see, something that was mainstream, and now in the sights of society. All these wonderful recent events with shootings and attacks and all that, cannot be blamed on a material thing. Not guns, not violent video games, or anything else. But people. Desensitized society that sub-consciously likes violence. A society that is too distracted with everything else going on that they can't spot a mentally unsound person, and the very same mentally unsound person being fed by media, games and music until it all finally adds up and he snaps. Anywho, back to the topic at hand. I think games can be fantastic. They tell great stories, introduce some awesome music, and create good experiences among friends. But you can't ignore the fact that they have downsides, like everything else. It's up to people to be responsible about the downsides, such as spending too much time on them and slipping away from reality. And if your kid isn't responsible enough to make that choice, than you as a parent should. I didn't start officially gaming until I went over to my friends house and laid my eyes on Halo for the very first time, because my parents kept me away from games up until that point. Bottom line is, folks need to realize some things about gaming. It's not as evil as it's made out to be, but it's not perfect either. Folks can do as they please, but they should be mindful of just what it is that they do. Games may not be real, but the sensations caused by them are. Panic from fleeing a scary ass monster. Rage from getting killed by that shotgun camping asshat. Joy from winning. Relief at overcoming a tough fight. Excitement at playing something new. [u]Satisfaction from killing an enemy.[/u] I'll leave it at that.