Ethical Issues in Art and Popular Culture

Ethical Issues in Art and Popular Culture

Each time a person plays a violent video game he is reinforcing the idea that violence is all right and that is it is the best way to handle most of life's problems. (Anderson and Dill, 2000) In today's society and culture some people believe that violent computer games have an adverse and potentially deadly influence on the young people of our country. "In 1982, the National Institute of Mental Health assessed over 2,500 scholarly studies and came to the conclusion that there is a clear link between media violence and violent behavior in children" (Violent Video Games, para12). Take for example, the Paducah, Kentucky case a 14 year old boy takes a .22 caliber pistol to school and shoots 8 children. (Violent Video Games, para17). All of the shots were either head or upper torso. As anyone that has ever fired a pistol will tell you, that kind of accuracy takes a lot of practice. The question is how did he get that proficient? It is really simple he played video games over and over to become a master killer. (Violent Video Games, para17)

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold launched an assault on Columbine High School. Culminating in 13 dead 23 wounded. The shooters then turned the guns on themselves. Although no one can say for sure what the underlying motive was for this horrible massacre. One thing is certain and that is that both boys were avid Doom players. Harris customized a version of Doom that could have and probably was the blueprint for the Columbine massacre with two shooters, plenty of ammo and the victims can't fight back. This is exactly the way the Columbine massacre happened. (Anderson and Dill, 2000)

The United States Marine Corp uses the video game Doom as a training tool so how can the makers of this game say it is harmless? (Violent Video Games, para5)

Wolfenstein 3D came out in 1992 was the first 3d first person shooter game. This game was mild compared to the video games of today. Computer graphics have gotten better and now it is close to virtual reality. In Wolfensatein 3d the player stars out with a small arsenal of a gun, a knife and a hand full of ammo and by the time the game is over the player has a Gatling gun, a flame thrower, and rocket launcher (Wolfenstein 3D)

Johnny Cage decapitates his victims with and upper cut, Rayden uses electrocution, Kano punches through his victims chest and pulls out his still beating heart, and finally Sub-Zero likes to tear his victims head off and hold it up with the spinal cord still attached and twitching. This what the game Mortal Kombat is like and it is not the worst game out there. So is it a way to release stress or a way to desensitize our young children? Is it a harmless way to let off steam or propagating violence and aggression? The debate continues as millions of children continue to play these games.