Video games are as firmly established in most homes as microwaves, satellite dishes and cordless phones. PlayStations and computer games have become a lifestyle thing, the latest “must have” toy for children and teenagers. Now with the state-of-the-art technology and realistic graphics, video games are getting gorier, more realistic and more violent. The actual video game is in cartridge form but due to technological advancement the form has changed to that of a CD-ROM complete with color, graphics and stereo sound. Now video games require the consumer to become actively involved, a participant in the game. Many games involve simulated physical aggression of some sort. Modern technology has made 3D and first-person games the norm. Here in the local market, children and teenagers can choose from a wide range of games and buy whatever catches their eye for a mere SR10. Although the games come with a rating — “E” everyone, “T” teen, and “M” for content appropriate for 17 and over — anyone can purchase a game regardless of its ratings.
It seems like “gore, gore and more gore” has become a standard part of the most popular and sophisticated video games in the market. Video games such as “Mortal Kombat” and “Resident Evil” that have explicit violent content are some of the bestsellers in local shops. “Mortal Kombat” features codes that allow players to manually decapitate opponents leaving the spine dangling. In addition there is computerized blood as kicks and punches lead to red splashes on the screen. Video games are training youngsters to celebrate violence; the repeated experience of killing is going to be translated into behavior.
Sixteen-year-old Muhammad does not agree with this. He got his first PlayStation when he was 10. Now he owns PlayStation 2 also. He has a wide variety of games some of them with explicit violent content. “So what if some of my games are violent?” he shrugs. “It is not pornography. Teenagers who identify with these games and act them out in real life are sick and have a warped family life. Sure, some of the more violent games are thrilling and when I get together with friends we play them to outscore each other but that is it. Video games are fun and entertaining and that is how I associate with them.”
Experts agree that interactive games may be significantly more harmful than the damage done by television, music and movies. Says Kholoud Saleh, “My 10-year-old son is only allowed to play his PlayStation on weekends, and whenever he wants to buy a new game my husband goes to the shop with him and helps him choose something according to his age. But I cannot control what he plays when he goes to a friend or a cousin’s house.”
Most parents give in to the incessant demands of their children that lead to them playing the games on school nights also. Maha could not watch any of her favorite sitcoms and talk shows even when her 15-year-old was not hogging the television. “He would not let me watch my programs in peace and would come to me after every 10 minutes feeling bored and asking when my programs would end. There came a time when he started misbehaving with me whenever I asked him to shut his PlayStation as it was time for my television program. Then my husband and I decided to buy him a television set for his room so that there would be some peace in our house,” she sighed with resignation.
An increasing number of children have a television set in their own rooms now. This is one of the primary reasons parents feel that they have no control over their child’s gaming content as they play in the isolation of their room. Apart from the psychological dangers, constant gaming is a cause of obesity in children and adolescents. Decreased physical activity can also lead to the onset of juvenile diabetes. Excessive use of video games causes short-term injury that develops as a result of repeated pressing of a game controller button with the right thumb. Complaints like wrist and neck pain, backache, dry eyes and headaches are common to video game enthusiasts, says a pediatrician at a leading hospital in Riyadh.
Video games are also a source of antisocial behavior. Youngsters spend hours on end isolated neglecting family and friends. “Whatever happened to playing outside with friends like we used to when we were growing up?” ask some parents. But the gaming bug is here to stay. So to minimize the negative effects of video games and prevent senseless incidents like the school shootings in the United States, it is important for parents to take responsibility and talk to their children. It is imperative to explain to them that violence on video games is not the real thing and that imitating the game content in real life is just not acceptable.