Page 149 - Reliance Foundation School Koparkhairane - School Magazine - Zenith 2020-21

The Silence Before Sound Do Violent Videogames Encourage Players

I wake up every morning to Become Violent in Real Life?
The call of the birds, my alarm
Did you know that over 1.2 million videogames exist in the world? Videogames are an immensely popular source
I sit down with a cup of coffee
of entertainment. Unlike movies, which are non-interactive and static in nature, videogames necessitate active
And adore the hushed and calm.
inputs from the user which makes them more immersive and enjoyable.
As time passes, I can now smell
The scent of food being cooked downstairs Personally, I am an immense gaming enthusiast, having played a plethora of videogames both casually and semi-
It slowly wafts in through my window professionally. I own over 500 videogames, and can thus, commentate reasonably well on this topic.
Along with the smell of silence lingering in the air.
Violent videogames are popular often due to their inherent stress-busting characteristic. This is evident as some
Everything around me is so still of the most popular videogames in the world, such as CS:GO, Valorant, Halo and the infamous duo of Fortnite
As if someone had hit pause and PUBG, are first-person shooters where the player sees the world through the eyes of a character, wielding a
The sight of empty streets and no hustle in the markets gun.
Is so different from the usual chaos.
Other popular videogames such as DOOM and Left 4 Dead are extremely notorious for their gore-filled
This life is not a usual one Hamsini Sreekakulam - IX B immersion.
It's the onset of something much more creepy
Videogames are incredibly fun, and I believe that they should be experienced by everybody. However, one must
It's the onset of a storm (a frightful one to say the least)
game responsibly. Videogame addiction is a prominent cause of brain drain amongst today's youth.
Hurling itself in the direction of humanity
Filled to the brim with misery. Life in Quarantine The topic of videogame-induced violence has been a long debated one. Society has a common misconception
But there are greater things The roads are empty, that violence in videogames can lead to violent tendencies in all indviduals playing them. Although there is little
speeding towards humanity The parks and malls too. scientific evidence to back these claims, the American Psychological Association (APA) did publish a statement
a sense of unity and hope Everyone wishes to go out, in 2015 concluding that playing violent videogames leads to short term “combative moods” in players.
all of mankind bustling with renewed energy But not anytime soon. Speaking from personal experience, however, I find that the virtual world is very different from the real world.
we all need to fight this
Even though it can get boring, You wouldn't rip through demons with a chainsaw or wear a supersuit and go bezerk on a horde of aliens in the
and push the storm of loss away
It is much better to stay in and rest. real world, would you? I believe videogames are a means to escape reality and immerse yourself in a different
we need to walk headfirst into the next
Than to go out in the open, dimension wherein anything is possible, as long as you have the maturity level to handle such games.
and begin our lives again
Vulnerable and powerless.
That being said, whilst videogames may not affect teenagers and adults' brains and through-processes, children
but before all of that, we need to enjoy this silence It is a challenging time,
its something we never had exposed to violence form a tender age will certainly tend to display aggressive tendencies. Owing to the fact that
With an uncertain future. children's minds are impressionable, their behaviour will be shaped by their environment and external
as once we enter the storm of rebuilding,
It may de days, weeks or even months, influences. This could become catastrophic in the future, as societies may shun such individuals and may even
there's no going back, no getting this again.
Before it is safe for a date with nature. end up landing them in jail.
Ananya Pathak - XII A
But do not lose hope,
It is for this reason that videogames come with an age-rating, usually by
And think it will not get better.
the ESRB. Some games like Minecraft are rated for ages 9 and above,
Because it will,
some like Halo 5: Guardians are rated for Teenagers and above, whilst
Just like every other matter.
others like DOOM are rated strictly for ages 18 and up. Policy makers
History gives the evidence, do not want young children near a game filled with violence or horror
Us humans have a flair for surviving like Dead Space, as they fear aggressive tendencies.
Even in the darkest of times,
In conclusion, whilst violent videogames don't induce violence in
Though it may be tiring.
older teenagers and adults, the age rating at the back of videogames
And when the day comes,
must be complied with for the children's own good.
When it is all over,
We will look at each other Abhinav S. Thaker - XI C
And smile and hug,
Because we will know,
That there is not much that we cannot overcome.
Charvee Kachhava - X B
Ashima Ranyal - XII B
Riya Sharma - IX A
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