JEDDAH, 13 October 2005 — After stealing a car and killing the owner, the eight-year-old roars off down the street, running over pedestrians and smashing into cars until he kills a police officer and uses the slain patrolman’s weapon to go on a shooting spree, slaying anyone in his path.
Front page news? No.
Amazingly, many youngsters across the country commit such acts every day in their living rooms while sitting in front of the family television.
The above scenario comes from a popular videogame called “Grand Theft Auto,” one of many alarmingly violent games youngsters can purchase for SR7-SR50 without restriction in Saudi Arabia.
Parents may be shocked when they see their living rooms become virtual killing fields. Many say that retailers should not be allowed to sell such games to youngsters. Retailers say that parents should be monitoring what their children buy and have some idea as to what purpose the family television is being put.
Despite ratings codes on the games that are sold in the United States and Europe, there are no laws in the Kingdom to restrict the use of these games by children.
“I was shocked to find that my son had a very violent game in his collection,” said Abdul Aziz Anwar, father of a 13-year-old boy. “This game includes cutting off heads and arms and many bloody scenes. One time I saw a game in his collection that involves someone driving a car and running over people and stealing guns to shoot people. I am not going to ask where they get these games from, but why don’t storeowners refuse to sell these games to children under the age of 18?”
Mahmoud Omar said he gave his nine-year-old son cash to buy a game while he waited outside in the car. The boy returned with a violent game, prompting the father to confront the sales clerk. The clerk told him that they don’t play the role of parents when they are dealing with business and that the father shouldn’t give the boy money because all kids these days are buying violent video games. Remember, salespeople don’t own the game stores, and it is businessmen who set the store policies.
“In the past, children were attracted to adventure and educational games,” said Galal Muhammad, an Egyptian computer game salesman. “These days, unfortunately, they are attracted more to violent games, and they won’t stop going from one store to another to buy the latest violent videogame. I personally can’t stop a child from getting what he wants even if it doesn’t suit his age. If it was my son, I would ban him from buying it because that is the role of the father. But they are not my sons, and I have to think about the business because that is what my sponsor cares about — more sales. I urge families to take good care of their children and supervise what they buy.”
The effect of violent videogames on children was researched by psychologist Dr. Craig A. Anderson, who acknowledged that the results were not conclusive. His research yielded mixed results.
Some studies found no significant videogame effects. However, when one combines relevant empirical studies, he said, five separate effects emerge with considerable consistency. Dr. Anderson said that violent videogames are significantly associated with increased aggressive behavior and thoughts; increased physiological arousal; and decreased pro-social (helping) behavior.
Parents aren’t helpless. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) provides a two-part rating system — one on the front cover and the other on the back of every video and computer game distributed. On the front cover of the game, a letter, such as E (for everyone), M (mature), AO (adults only), T (teens), EC (early childhood) or RP (rating pending), is prominently displayed. On the back cover, there is a brief description of the contents. The ESRB also has a website so people can check the rating of any game online on www.esrb.org.
Is your living room the site of an ongoing virtual blood bath and slaughter? If you have children who love videogames, you might want to check out what is on your television tonight — you might be surprised.
