Life Imitating Art or Vice Versa

It was an inevitability. Thankfully it happened in Canada as opposed to here, but still, I can already see the results of this latest case. What is it that happened? Well, a man in Canada was caught attempting to steal a car. When he was booked, it was discovered that he had been involved in several similar cases as well. When he was arrested and his mug shots were taken, the police discovered a tatoo which is rather... telling. As you can see from the photograph he has a tatoo which is the logo of the controversial game, "Grand Theft Auto" across his back. Now why the controversy? Well, the game series has been criticized for glamorizing crime and violence. With a name like "Grand Theft Auto" what else could it mean. Initially the game series was a game whereby a player controlled a car theft ring and attempted to build an empire. From there it grew and as games improved so did the scope of the games. There have been several versions now, each more violent and realistic than the first. With stories almost as detailed as a Hollywood movie, it can become difficult for people to separate fantasy from reality.

As a result, I'm waiting for the calls that will inevitably come out regarding this case and that will be calls for the gaming industry to be held accountable for the games they produce. To me, that arguement always seems so childish and stupid; especially when it comes from someone like a congressman. Games have been around for a number of years, but in recent years, the level of realism has been blurring so much that it's almost impossible to tell what is real and what isn't. Don't believe me? Check out some of the graphics on games such as "Madden 07" and then tell me whether you think it's real or not. As a result it's not only games with sports that are becoming realistic but other games as well. I grant you, violent games are probably desensitizing kids to a degree never before experienced, but I wouldn't place 100% of the blame on the gaming industry.

Are they to blame, in some degree certainly. Knowing that their games have been the inspiration for violent behavior or for inspiring crimes then we should stop these games from ever being released. But is it all bad? No, not really. I think games can be a good outlet for relaxing after a long day. It can also help people live out any dreams that they may have long harbored but could never pursue. I am a football fanatic but I was never strong enough or built enough to play the game. The term fragile comes to mind. Every fan of the game loves to be a Monday Morning Quarterback, and with games like "Madden 07" you can be the coach, quarterback and star wide receiver all in one. Games like "Test Drive Unlimited" gives you the keys to virtually any supercar. You can race all over the place, you can crash, you can drive off road.

Wait a second. Crash and drive off road, isn't that violent? Football, isn't that violent? I mean after all, no player plays without full pads so it must be violent. So then why aren't there calls for these games to be stopped? One can argue that there is a difference between those types of games and games like "Grand Theft Auto," "Doom" and a slew of others. But if we are going to blame those handful of shooting games for the ills of society and for fostering violence in the youth of the world then stop sports games since they teach violence, stop driving games because they teach reckless driving, stop shooting games because they foster violent tendencies. This has been the case from the beginning. I mean mankind has had a history of violence. Even back in the stone age, man had video games that taught him and fostered violence. Hence Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest is based solely on the fact that video games taught man that survival of the fittest is the law of the land.