Video games have gained an ENORMOUS amount of popularity and accessibility over the years of my lifetime, and it is completely amazing to me how much the video game culture has become engrained in our society. I have mixed feelings about this cultural phenomenon, seeing how when I was growing up, Mrs. Pac-Man was the only game I was ever interested in. Times have certainly changed since then, and I’m afraid that I am a little bit more out of the loop than I would like to be.
The reasons for wanting to know more about them is not for my own benefit, however, but because the knowledge of gaming is an effective and powerful weapon when it comes to parenting. My kids are so interested in everything that hit’s the shelves that it is important, no, imperative that I am fully aware of every aspect of the games our family chooses to entertain itself with. It was easier when they were younger, when Frogger or Mario where characters that could hold my children’s attention for more that 5 minutes. Now that my son is entering the pre-teen stage, I am constantly questioning the games he is playing- especially when they-re not being played under our roof. When I compare the games that are popular now to those of my youth, I worry simply because I have noticed a general rise in violence with the youth along with the increasing popularity of video games that center around brutality, and it is my belief that video games are a contributing factor to this.
So what game in particular am I wary of? Grand Theft Auto. I can see its appeal, I can understand (to a point) the argument that it’s “just a game,” but I find it really hard to find a balance between good cop and bad cop when other parents don’t seem to be bothered by the contents of it. So what do I do? Research.
John Leo posted an article in US News and World Report in 1999 titled, “When Life Imitates Video,” and even though I had read it when it was originally published, I still hear its lingering warning statements every time my child asks for a violent-themed video game. Leo argues,
“But there is a cultural problem here: We are now a society in which the chief form of play for millions of youngsters is making large numbers of people die. Hurting and maiming others is the central fun activity in video games played so addictively by the young. A widely cited survey of 900 fourth-through-eighth-grade students found that almost half of the children said their favorite electronic games involve violence. Can it be that all this constant training in make-believe killing has no social effects?”
This is the question that Leo seeks to answer throughout his article, which basically argues that video games are directly linked to the rise in violence, and that playing them is pretty much a “dress rehearsal” for the actual performance of these things. I don’t know about you, but I am fearful of the things entering my child’s mind as he plays these games, and as much as I don’t want to believe that he could be brainwashed by a seemingly harmless activity, I don’t know that I am willing to take the chance.
On the IGN website, I did a little digging and found a review on Grand Theft Auto IV. I wonder if you’ll be as shocked as I was.
Grand Theft Auto IV
This is the American dream.
By Hilary Goldstein
April 25, 2008 - "Criminals are an ugly, cowardly lot more worthy of pity and disdain than admiration. This is what you'll learn playing through the single-player campaign in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV. The series cheered (and criticized) for glorifying violence has taken an unexpected turn: it's gone legit. Oh sure, you'll still blow up cop cars, run down innocent civilians, bang hookers, assist drug dealers and lowlifes and do many, many other bad deeds, but at a cost to main character Niko Bellic's very soul."
Would I have been surprised had I bought this game before discovering what it was really all about! One could probably draw the immoral themes of Grand Theft Auto simply from the title alone, but nothing could have prepared me for what to expect better than this review by Goldstein! I didn’t even think of the possibility that my son might already know what “banging hookers” actually means, but the fact that this game could have taught him that outrages me! Sure, they rate the game “M” for mature in the attempt to prevent underage kids from playing, but the fact that its out there and that they are aware of its existence only fuels their desire to play it. I guess I am disappointed that Rockstar Games would create a game that sends such immoral messages to our society, targeting the younger generations simply by cultural coincidence.
I suppose that I should acknowledge that they do warn players of the content of the game, admitting that it contains: “Intense Violence, Blood, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Partial Nudity, Use of Drugs and Alcohol.” In all reality, those things are appealing to young people because they are the very definition of wrong! By telling kids what’s in the game, Rockstar Games is creating the frenzy they wanted all along.
I am severely disappointed and appalled that a game like this could potentially influence the children of the world in a negative way, and I wish there was a way to prevent it being on the shelves of our stores. I will not accept the desensitization and promotion of immoral activity that this video game series offers, and I urge fellow parents and human beings to do the same.
Works Cited:
Goldstein, Hilary. “Grand Theft Auto IV This is the American Dream.” IGN Entertainment. April 5, 2008. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/869/869381p1 .html
Leo, John. “When Life Imitates Video.” US News and World Report. April 25, 1999. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/990503/archive_000875.htm
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
3708 W. Janet
A white trailer with red accents
on a bit more than an acre of land,
with a rolling green lawn and trees
designed for little limbs to climb.
The backyard a childhood dream:
A pen full of goats waiting to be pestered
and the first puppy for four city kids now playing it up in the country
where hide and go seek is a worthwhile game
and dusk doesn’t end all fun anymore.
A garden full of kid tested, mother exhorted treats;
Watermelons with seeds aerodynamically perfected
for spitting at younger siblings.
Tomatoes waiting to cover spaghetti and
to be wiped from tiny faces by gentle hands.
A mulberry tree welcoming children up into its branches,
staining the climbers with purple pox on skin and clothes.
Rose bushes flaunting their blooms and
pricking tiny fingers, a warning to gain a wider berth.
Room for everyone now,
bunk beds that are more fun than function,
pinks and blues no longer clashing.
A white trailer with red accents,
not house but definitely a home.
-Stephanie Dalen
on a bit more than an acre of land,
with a rolling green lawn and trees
designed for little limbs to climb.
The backyard a childhood dream:
A pen full of goats waiting to be pestered
and the first puppy for four city kids now playing it up in the country
where hide and go seek is a worthwhile game
and dusk doesn’t end all fun anymore.
A garden full of kid tested, mother exhorted treats;
Watermelons with seeds aerodynamically perfected
for spitting at younger siblings.
Tomatoes waiting to cover spaghetti and
to be wiped from tiny faces by gentle hands.
A mulberry tree welcoming children up into its branches,
staining the climbers with purple pox on skin and clothes.
Rose bushes flaunting their blooms and
pricking tiny fingers, a warning to gain a wider berth.
Room for everyone now,
bunk beds that are more fun than function,
pinks and blues no longer clashing.
A white trailer with red accents,
not house but definitely a home.
-Stephanie Dalen
Torn Up Inside
Confusion exploding, my mind’s a mess
I’m lost to you all, curled up inside my head
Can’t make my fear, uncertainty known
Then I’d be weak, my vulnerability shown.
Sleep doesn’t come so easily anymore
Unclear thoughts and worries plague my consciousness
I can’t understand what I should do
Make amends, or break cleanly away.
Tears threaten to spill down my face,
in this public place
My problems out on display,
for all of them to see.
The fear of scorn for my uncontrolled emotion
The exploitation of my tears is imminent.
It’s not my fault,
I know that intellectually
My heart is not so certain.
If I’d kept my mouth shut would this have taken place
Could things have worked out, had I not spoken up?
I just don’t know what to do,
Having no one to talk to
It seems as though no one cares.
I’m expendable, my feelings defunct
I know this isn’t true but,
My heart aches with the possibility
I feel needy and unlikable,
A hot mess if you will.
I hate this nobody likes me,
Everybody hates me,
Guess I’ll go eat worms mentality.
The poor me! Attitude I’ve had
Makes me sick of myself.
-Stephanie Dalen
I’m lost to you all, curled up inside my head
Can’t make my fear, uncertainty known
Then I’d be weak, my vulnerability shown.
Sleep doesn’t come so easily anymore
Unclear thoughts and worries plague my consciousness
I can’t understand what I should do
Make amends, or break cleanly away.
Tears threaten to spill down my face,
in this public place
My problems out on display,
for all of them to see.
The fear of scorn for my uncontrolled emotion
The exploitation of my tears is imminent.
It’s not my fault,
I know that intellectually
My heart is not so certain.
If I’d kept my mouth shut would this have taken place
Could things have worked out, had I not spoken up?
I just don’t know what to do,
Having no one to talk to
It seems as though no one cares.
I’m expendable, my feelings defunct
I know this isn’t true but,
My heart aches with the possibility
I feel needy and unlikable,
A hot mess if you will.
I hate this nobody likes me,
Everybody hates me,
Guess I’ll go eat worms mentality.
The poor me! Attitude I’ve had
Makes me sick of myself.
-Stephanie Dalen
Freedom Fight?
Necessary roughness, condoned rage,
structured violence, put them all in a cage.
Beat each other senseless; make him feel the pain,
go through the motions, make his blood reign.
Fighting for a cause, stabbing for a reason,
putting down your weapons treason.
Propaganda fueling the flames, enlisting the troops,
churning out hate, pinpointing enemy groups.
Training goes quickly, issued your weapon,
hop in a jeep, begin your mission.
Take down the hostiles, destroy resistance,
Man, woman, and child your hands hold their existence.
Devoting your life, fighting THEIR war,
give up your dreams, because THEY demand more!
Firefights come as overhead bombs explode,
a constant buzz of prayers, while sneaking down a dark, winding road.
One hope leads them on, different faces give each of them purpose,
getting home at all cost, finally reaching the glossy surface.
-Stephanie Dalen
structured violence, put them all in a cage.
Beat each other senseless; make him feel the pain,
go through the motions, make his blood reign.
Fighting for a cause, stabbing for a reason,
putting down your weapons treason.
Propaganda fueling the flames, enlisting the troops,
churning out hate, pinpointing enemy groups.
Training goes quickly, issued your weapon,
hop in a jeep, begin your mission.
Take down the hostiles, destroy resistance,
Man, woman, and child your hands hold their existence.
Devoting your life, fighting THEIR war,
give up your dreams, because THEY demand more!
Firefights come as overhead bombs explode,
a constant buzz of prayers, while sneaking down a dark, winding road.
One hope leads them on, different faces give each of them purpose,
getting home at all cost, finally reaching the glossy surface.
-Stephanie Dalen
Sunday, January 24, 2010
FORGOTTEN
BY: AMY HATCH
She says he's not good enough
He says what more can he possibly give
She's drained everything out of him.
yet he works and works so
he doesn't have to come home.
The insults break his heart
The love he has for her is weakening.
He masks his hurt and pain
He jokes and works all day
She yells
She demeans
She threatens
His pride, his heart, his masquerade
The hurt in his eyes says too much
his sullen face lingers...
She says he's not good enough
He says what more can he possibly give
She's drained everything out of him.
yet he works and works so
he doesn't have to come home.
The insults break his heart
The love he has for her is weakening.
He masks his hurt and pain
He jokes and works all day
She yells
She demeans
She threatens
His pride, his heart, his masquerade
The hurt in his eyes says too much
his sullen face lingers...
RISKS
BY: AMY HATCH
There's no way of knowing
what this life will bring.
Is it worth it to take the risk?
Is it what I've been waiting for
all along?
All the signs point towards
one direction
My mind and heart point toward
the other
Is logic and love that much of an opposite?
Or is that what is meant to happen?
Everyone's stories are all different.
Am I willing to take the risk?
To endure, to sacrifice, to live.
Is it worth it? Am i willing?
There's no way of knowing
what this life will bring.
Is it worth it to take the risk?
Is it what I've been waiting for
all along?
All the signs point towards
one direction
My mind and heart point toward
the other
Is logic and love that much of an opposite?
Or is that what is meant to happen?
Everyone's stories are all different.
Am I willing to take the risk?
To endure, to sacrifice, to live.
Is it worth it? Am i willing?
REALITY
BY: AMY HATCH
Little girls dream of perfect lives.
They have this assurance
that one day they will meet their perfect match
He will be so perfect and faithful
Sometimes these men come
Sometimes they don't
Soon these girls realize
that perfect men don't exist.
The women settle and try
not to dwell on their
fairytale ideology
They ignore it when their men
come home late.
When they see their imperfections.
The women dream
but only until
reality sets in
Little girls dream of perfect lives.
They have this assurance
that one day they will meet their perfect match
He will be so perfect and faithful
Sometimes these men come
Sometimes they don't
Soon these girls realize
that perfect men don't exist.
The women settle and try
not to dwell on their
fairytale ideology
They ignore it when their men
come home late.
When they see their imperfections.
The women dream
but only until
reality sets in
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