Youth : OPINION : ‘The Problem Is Not the Video Games’

Video games have been criticized as increasingly violent and gory. Teen-agers familiar with the games respond to the charge.

BRIAN SCHWARTZ

Senior, 18, Glendale High School, former top-ranked national Nintendo player

One reason that Mortal Kombat is separate from the rest is that the people who fight in this game have actual actors portraying them. So they look very lifelike. And to see something very lifelike get decapitated is probably stretching it, while at the same time showing something like that in Street Fighter II may not be stretching it that much because it looks cartoonish.

With the media, young people are getting desensitized (to violence) quite a bit. Do video games contribute to that? Yeah, but I would say that the part that they play is small in comparison to what young people see on TV every day. Because most video games are shown to be fantasy-like and stuff, that this couldn’t happen in real life, it doesn’t desensitize people as much.

There would be very few games that I would see fitting into the category of censoring. Mortal Kombat is kind of, at least for now, in a league of its own. And having decapitation is pushing it too far. There might be a couple of games in the future whose censorship might be required.

As far as Mortal Kombat goes, I don’t think that parents should be too worried about children over the age of probably 13 or 14 that play these games. I’m a big believer in video game ratings, and I think that all the major game company manufacturers should go to a ratings system.

JUAN MARTINEZ

Senior, 17, Kennedy High School; active in student government

Basically, I don’t really think video games (will influence) someone to go out and shoot someone. About them being too violent for younger players, they might be--especially Mortal Kombat (one version of the game realistically depicts people being beheaded). But for teen-agers who pretty much do all this, it’s not going to influence them to commit acts of violence. (I don’t think the games are a reflection of violence in our society), because a lot of people know that video games are just fantasy. There aren’t that many “reality games” around. You don’t see people going around tearing off heads, and tearing out hearts in real life. That’s a little exaggeration. I don’t think it’s an image of real life.

The people who design the games see that we’re living in a time when TV shows and everything are mainly violent, so we’re growing up with that, and we’re used to it. So designers might think it’s normal for teens to see violence.

I think it would take someone very ignorant to think that violence is OK. Teen-agers who are maturing into adults know that when they’re playing a game, and when they’re watching a TV show, that real violence is still happening in our society.

ILYSE MIMOUN

Junior, 15, Santa Monica High School; president, Pro-Choice Club, and speaker, House of the Associated Student Body

I am opposed to (violence and gore in video games). I don’t think it should be censored, but I think it’s really distasteful. I think the games are just another catalyst for desensitizing people. It’s just another way of accepting violence, validating violence, almost. It’s like if you’re up against somebody bad, then violence is OK. I mean, I’m not saying whether that is right or wrong, but that is subliminally sent to us all the time.

I don’t know why the real violent games are so popular. They don’t appeal to me at all. I guess it’s more exciting. It’s sort of like a cycle--the movies and media sort of glorify violence. They’ll have a TV special about the Waco incident where the media tries to excite you about it, so you’ll watch their channel’s news. At the same time, they’ll make it attractive, in a way, so that you’ll want to hear about it. So we’re sort of drawn to all that exciting stuff. It’s turned into entertainment, and this (the video games) is just an extension of that.

I don’t think the games should be censored, because I don’t think it’s the games that are the problem. It’s why the kids are attracted to the games is what should be worked on. You take away the games and they’ll find something else.

SAM NUNEZ

Sophomore, 15, Hollywood High School; plays video games every Saturday with a self-imposed $5 limit

I think the games are OK because they’re a lot of fun. The graphics are kind of gory. When you rip the guy’s head off and the blood comes out, that looks cool! My dad was playing at my friend’s house and he said, “What happened?” because you could pull the guy’s head off and electrocute him.

He said, “They didn’t have this when I was young!” He thought it looked cool. He didn’t say, “No, I don’t want you playing this thing.” That could be for younger kids, little kids. They could get bad thoughts--like 8-year-olds. But for the older kids, like in high school and junior high school, the games are about right.

There’s nothing you can do (to stop little kids from seeing it) because little kids will get their money and go play it anyway. They should have, probably, a sign that says “13 or older” It could stop the little kids from seeing it.