Why I like virtual violence.

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of guns or bombs or tanks or wars or nuclear warheads. I am repelled by any sort of tool designed solely for the purpose of taking human lives. I cannot justify the reasoning behind the creation of such tools, whether in self-defense or as some sort social justice edict. It is wrong, plain and simple. It is no man's right to decide if a fellow human being lives or dies.

That said, man do I love first-person shooter games! I love the idea of moving around in a virtual environment and shooting virtual things and virtual people and watching them bleed virtual blood and die horrible (but virtual) bloody deaths. I love it that I can pump so many rounds of virtual shells per minute into a target with my virtual automatic shotgun with nary but a flick of my wrist and frantic left-clicking. I love the adrenaline rush that runs through me as a stalk pixel-based corridors and well-rendered hallways looking for my next kill while subsequently escaping the notice of my would-be hunters. I love it when my character somersaults towards her target with blinding speed and dismembers him with 2 smooth, quick strokes of her wrist blades. It's just so much fun!

I also find real-time strategy games to be particularly riveting. I've always been a tactical game nut, and ever since I played my first game of chess I knew I savoured the heady feeling that takes hold of you when you subjugate your opponent with the power of your mind alone. Usually I lack the micromanagement skills that is required to play such games very well, but I love them anyway.

The question here is, how does one who admits to hating and being afraid of real violence reconcile that with his love of imaginary violence? The issue of video-game violence is a hot topic in the United States, with the detractors stating that children who play such games have a higher tendency to emulate those games and commit real crimes outside. The supporters claim that the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of people who play violent video-games do not get the urge to go out and shoot someone in real life. I'm sure you can see my bias in this case. I'll put in my two cents here just to make a stand and move on.

First, I think they're both right. Most people who play violent games don't commit violent crimes after that. I may not have the data at hand, but if you bother to look around the net a bit, you'll see what I mean. There's no study out there that draws direct correlation and causality to imply that violent video-games instigate violent behaviour in those who play them. On the other hand, younger children who play such games DO tend to emulate what they see and experience in such media. The vivid realism that is increasingly present in such games makes it even more difficult for this class of gamer to differentiate between what is acceptable and what is not in normal society.

What do we do then? Simple. Parents, DO YOUR JOB. If you have young kids who may not be mature enough to handle such games, don't let them play. I personally think children below 13 years of age shouldn't be playing video-games at all. In the case of older gamers who commit violent crimes, assuming they are not mentally unstable or suffer from other emotional and psychological disorders, rest assured, the question of whether they play such games or not does not factor in. They are just as likely to commit those crimes with or without the subliminal and devil-worship prompting of violent games. Most of us know that hurting someone intentionally is not only wrong in the eyes of the law, it is also morally abhorrent. If you don't, then someone has been highly negligent in explaining to you why it is wrong to shoot someone else with your father's pea-shooter. Also, go away.

I see this is turning into a rant. Time to stop the digression train.

Anyway, I've thought about the reason behind my attraction to such games. Being someone who cannot bring himself to injure or cause any kind of physical pain to a fellow human being (I can't even pinch someone. Sorry.), it is interesting to note that I readily look forward to ripping huge holes in virtual avatars. Do I have some kind of secret violent streak, that can only be expressed safely through playing such games? Maybe. Do I feel the need to unleash the short, violent and primal instinct to cause bodily harm and destroy public property when I feel threatened or angry? Perhaps. Or what if this is my way of rebelling against my puny physical stature, to express the frustration of being physically intimidated in real life? Highly possible.

While I do not deny that the reasons given above probably contribute in some minor way, I think I have found the real reason I like such games: I crave competition. To this end, violent video-games are merely a subset of the myriad things I like to do to test myself against others. I like basketball and ping-pong. I like chess and Scrabble. I like miniature tabletop wargames. And I like multiplayer computer games, including violent ones.

I've noted that puzzles like Sudoku do not interest me at all, mostly because of its solitaire nature. In fact, puzzles and games that do not pit me against another living, breathing human being fails to attract my attention most of the time. It is the excitement i derive from striving against the will and skills of another and beating them that compels me to play these games. In short, I love winning. I don't mind losing many, many times, as long as I retain the conviction that I will one day win, that one day I shall emerge triumphant and victorious, and bask in the warm glow of accomplishment and success.

Yes, I'm talking to you. There will come a time when I will BEAT YO ASS in Scrabble. Repeatedly. Count on it.