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Dr. Thiele comments on an Ars article regarding the gaming and violence connection. He sees the Ars article as the first of many articles fighting back against the "violent" label attached to video games.

Another thing to consider is that rarely have I found that those that label games as "violent" have actually spent any time playing those games. Rather, they see an ad for the game or hear about it loosely from someone else, and then they make their proclamation without any first-hand knowledge. They sensationalize their cause without any proof to support it.

It is very similar to those who call for the banning of books. For example, District 214 board member Leslie Pinney requested to have several books banned despite admitting to having not read them in their entirety. Thankfully, Board President William Dussling and the remainder of the board voted against the ban. Similarly, it is going to require individuals knowledgeable about video games to stand up against those who wish to blindly blame video games for the violence in today’s world.

Personally, as I have grown older, I have observed that society is no different today than it was fifty years ago, or even 2,000 years ago. Violence existed then, just as it does now. However, we are more exposed to violence now just because of the availability of news reports that both sensationalize violence and desensitize us to it.

While easy, it is inappropriate to blame just video games or movies or other pop culture for producing more violent youth. Some of the responsibility must be shared by the parents. Youth exposure to violence is inevitable, but it can be moderated. If you don’t want your kids playing violent video games, don’t buy them. If you are concerned about your kids playing violent video outside of the house, talk to them. So much energy is could be saved just by talking to your kids. We don’t need censorship. We don’t need legislation. We don’t need a small group of individuals with their own hidden agenda trying to spread FUD about video games, movies, music, etc. We just need to communicate.