The debate about computer games affecting children goes on - groups are claiming that playing any action game makes you a maniac killer instantly.
Those aged eight years or below do in the short-term re-enact or copy what they see on the screenProfessor Mark Griffiths, Nottingham Trent University
I think this is complete bullshit.
Even though some children are small and some annoyingly stupid, they
can divert Game from Reality.
Some may be affected and indeed, kill people cause "I did it in GTA!", but they are most likely to have some kind of mental disorder.
I've played action games since I was six year old, an I (Almost) never want to kill people.
Here, in Sweden, lots of documentaries have been made concerning this issue - the most recent one was
only about Postal 2(quite possibly the worst game in the world) and turned a blind eye to those, newthinking, developing and educational games that we all love.
Sure,
Half-Life mightnot be the most un-bloody and peacefull game in the world, but
this statement is false:
There's no room in a video game for anything other than killing your opponent
Peter Kendall, psychologist
A game(most games) is so much more - puzzles, an interactive enviroment, a plot that involves etcetra.
People who believe that you actually go crazy might aswell be ranting about the news showing terrorists being blown to pieces, starving children being shot at and hospitals being bombed back to the stoneage.
Not that I think you're affected by this - once again, you separate
reality from virtuality and even though the news are
real they are, hopefully, hundreds of miles away - You care less.