V is for Violence

            V is for Violence.

            It’s something the majority of us are fascinated by, I’d venture to say. Sometimes it is justified, sometimes it is horribly unjustified. Whatever the case, violence rouses in us all deeper emotions. Outrage. Excitement. Fear.

            “Some men are born with a talent for violence” I believe the quote goes from Littlefinger in season 1 of Game of Thrones. That’s probably true. Some people are more inclined to be violent than others. Maybe because they were just born that way, or because they’ve suffered a lifetime of oppression or aggression that has resulted in an anger that can seemingly only work itself out through violence.

            I’m a firm believer that, in much the same manner as blaming media for women’s body issues, blaming the trends of violence in our society on video games is nothing but a sorry cop-out. It’s a way to point the blame at someone else instead of facing the fact that people can be cruel. Along with a good number of Bear’s family, I’ve played video games where I’ve seen guts splash all over my screen, a disgusting mixture of black and red and white. If it’s on our team, then it’s sad. If it’s the other team, then there’s a sick satisfaction in popping their head like a zit.

            But I, and those who play with me, know how to draw the line between fiction and reality. Most of us, in our deeper conversations in the middle of the night, acknowledge the darkness that lives inside most of us. We acknowledge the daily struggle to be good people. And we’re smart enough to not allow our games to influence us in a way that could harm another human being. That’s called intelligence.

            Is violence necessary sometimes? Hell yes. Is it abused and done by those who are just naturally cruel and those who have no good reason? Absolutely.

            I believe things balance out though. It may be too vast for our human intelligence to even track, but I believe that for every dark deed done by a human, there is one of equal kindness and good done somewhere else in the world/universe.