The Ethics of Video Games
Assessing the value of your favourite pastime.
School Shootings and Video Games
On April 20th, 1999, the Columbine High School Massacre jumpstarted the now commonplace modern phenomenon of high school shootings. At this point — at least in the United States — school shootings have tragically become a norm. Since Columbine, the frequency of these shootings has risen exponentially.
The media frenzy around the Columbine shooting was massive. Several people pointed fingers at video games as the culprit — Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine Shooting, were avid fans of the notoriously violent video game Doom.
Harris wrote in his journal in anticipation of the Columbine shooting that it was “like playing [the video game] Doom” and that his shotgun was “straight out of the game.”
One can see readily why this might raise some red flags about video games. The fear is that simulated violence will translate over to actual violence. This fear has led to untold numbers of video games becoming banned in many different centuries, lest another columbine occurs. At least in the United States, what ended up happening is that ESRB ratings (which is basically what establishes which games are appropriate for certain age groups) were…