Mahatma Gandhi said it best:

“We may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent in thought, word and deed. But we must keep nonviolence as our goal and make strong progress towards it.”

its a pity that the people against this game dont get there facts right, try exploring it. "participating in terrorist killings", actually your an undercover CIA Agent that does what he has to do to infiltrate their operations,but in the end the leadar makarov knew he was american and he shoots him. much like the movie triple x, its clear that were living these violent ways. an every day life, its all just compressed in a few hour gameplay game. and people can get violent for many reasons...depression,domestic violence, financioal problems and etc.

I also wanted to point out on this Veteran's Day, that I'm a proud son of a 23 year-career United States Air Force Veteran and my daughter is a US Marine Corp Veteran and her husband is an Active Duty Navy NCO. Dad, thank you for a wonderful life of travel, adventure, and learning. The Air Force was good to us. Kids, I'm proud of your service to our country and even more proud that you're are my children. I love you very much! Happy Veteran's Day!

In my opinion, we can't blame video games for desensitizing people to killing and violence because they have been a part of this society long before video games were invented. When I was in college in the late 70's and early 80's, violence in society was blamed on the news media, movies, and toy guns. There was gang violence and killing, drug violence and killing, organized crime violence and killing, etc. I remember many periodicals such as Time, Newsweek, and others offering many article as to why violence and killing were so prevalent at the time and many blamed newspapers and the 6 o'clock news for focusing on that kind of news.

But to me, if we have to place blame, it all comes back to the parents. It was true when I was growing up and it is true today. As Nick B. stated, "parents should remind their kids that they are the influencing force in the children's lives and not the video games or other forms of media". Well said Nick B. Thank you.

BTW, I have been around guns all my life and my grown children grew up with guns and video games. As teens they knew the difference between entertainment and real life because I was there to show them. I haven't been target shooting with them in a while but Halo 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are our favorite games. In fact, I'm giving COD:MW2 to my youngest son for Christmas!

Good idea, Jared.

Thank you to all our Veterans! We live in your shadow.
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Just a note to say thanks for our Veterans!!!

Big Ups and much Props!!!!

wadada

Nick B.

I understand what you are saying..

But i look at it like something of some sort of Smokehouse.. You can't go into a smokehouse and think that you won't smell like the house when you come out..

It is still there and the smell lingers still..

wadada

jozielee,

Point taken. Thank you. As you can see I favor books over video games. Books played a big part in my childhood. It's too bad kids don't spend as much time reading as they do in font of the TV. Even video books don't have the appeal that video games do.

Dear Tristan:

As you know, I used Beowulf as one of the first forms of written entertainment. The story precedes the Bible. I could have used verbal storytelling but was undecided which century to begin with so used Beowulf.

Jozie

Leeroy,

As jozielee pointed out, violent has been with us way before cartoons. The bible itself is full of violent acts. In this case, it's how it's presented and used that is the problem.

jozielee,

With all do respect, reading a classic story like Beowulf, which by the way was requited reading when I was at school is nothing like an ultra violent video game where you can see and direct the action. I cut my teeth on books like Beowulf as a kid and I have to say I turned out to be normal and productive member of society.

Books opens the door of imagination for kids. The ultra violent video games don't do anything but feed the primal areas of the brain. Plus from what I have seen, besides the violent, they add sex. And in many of the games, women are treated as just objects to be used and thrown away. There are no controls on the content of the games.

The rating system they use is useless and self imposed. They needs to be an outside body, an organization that doesn't profit from the sales of the games to review and rate the games before release much the way films are. The technology that the games use is remarkable and would be a great learning tool. But like any tool, it can be used in the wrong way.

Leeroy, it goes back further than Wiley Coyote. Ever read Beowulf? (If not, see the Angelina Jolie movie). That story must have corrupted many a young knave.
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I blame the Three Stooges and Wyle E. Coyote. They started it all.

Eric,

The games are desensitizing no question. They same laws that apply to alcohol and firearms should a be used for these types of games. You have to be 21 or older to purchase them.

The media in America is completely contradicting to what we are trying to achieve as a society. It is ridiculous that it is unsafe to take a walk through your neighborhood when it's dark and that young kids and young women can barely go anywhere by themselves without having to be overly aware of what is around them. Violent video games are the not the only contribution to what this world has come to, but I believe that it plays a huge role in how young kids grow up to be. Young kids introduced to these games may not know what a gun is and have probably never even seen one in real life. They do not know what kind of harm it can do to a person, all they know is that when they shoot people in their video games, the people pop back up and keep running or start shooting back. We are teaching kids by letting them play these video games that shooting another human being is okay and socially accepted. When this behavior is carried into real life situations, kids think that the other person will pop back up just like in their video game, and perhaps they even think that if they get shot at, they won't get hurt either. It is no wonder that we do not have enough police and security in cities and it is no wonder that young kids are killing each other at school with guns. We have nothing else to look at then how the children of America are being raised these days. We must not blame this influence of violence solely on the video games, but the parents of those kids who voluntarily buy these games for these kids, and let them play them hours on end. There must be some other way for kids to have fun. What ever happened to actual sports and playing outside?...we even have a video game that you can exercise in front of (wii) which is quite ironic. Well let me tell you what happened to playing outside. It is no longer safe. Why? Well we can only go back to these video games with such violence and perhaps even movies with violence that some children are being allowed to watch without supervision. That is what I mean when I say it is completely contradicting. "It is not safe to play outside today Johnny, but you can staying inside and shoot people on your video game." It is a complete joke! To answer your question these video games are very much desensitizing children to killing others,(just as a whore is desensitized to sex without love); thus creating more violence.

The games people play and the reason they play them.
War Games and Fantasy RPG vs Grand Theft Auto and violence for the sake of violence games.
People, kids, teens, and Preppies are most likely not going to use their gaming experience from War Games, like Call to Duty II and most adventure RPG games, to commit the same violence in the real world. Games like Grand Theft Auto have no real practical application in the real world except to disrespect authority, learn criminal tactics, and commit random act of violence on women. Games like Grand Theft Auto plant the seed that you can profit from robbing and doing drugs and advance your position in your gang. The Fantasy Role Playing Games may have too much graphic violence, but for the most part you can mentally leave it when you quit the game, unlike games like Grand Theft Auto where those thoughts are more represented in the daily news.
War Games also have a real practical application in that it trains the young for the military. There are more unmanned aircraft being used and more robotics being used that incorporate the same principles as the war games. Even the aircraft simulators for the computer can help teach you how to fly a plane. Nothing good comes from games like Grand Theft Auto.
LJ Blue

Like the internet, movies and TV shows, video games are a form of entertainment. Parents must get involved in what their kids watch and play. They cannot blame the video game industry alone for whom the video game industry cater to. Parents should not allow their TV sets or video game console become the substitute parent that influences their kids into what they are seeing and experiencing. However, impressionable kids (and adults as well) will see the media as their only impression on the world. They will use the media as their only lifeline to the world and the only source to blame everything on the problems of the world. Does that mean Disney's "Toy Story Mania" ride at California Adventure is to blame for introducing kids to be destructive and teaching them to shoot things at a young age? Some will think that this only entertainment fun and others will think that this is an introduction to violence. It is a sad state of affairs that we now have to analyze everything we are exposed to and what our children are exposed to. Parents should remind their kids that they are the influencing force in the children's lives and not the video games or other forms of media. In this day and age where kids get almost everything they want, we forgot that our parents did not get us everything we want and now we now the reason why. Kids are already exposed to so many things and they cannot process the morality of every single thing they are exposed to. Kids want to try it now and might determine the moral implications at a later date. Technology cannot "V-chip" everything that kids are exposed to. Ultimately, it is the parents who should "V-chip" what a child should be exposed to.

I have been an avid gamer all my life and I come from a religious background. I know the difference between entertainment and reality. I have a moral compass to guide me. I know that the media (video games, internet, TV shows, and movies) are just a form of entertainment and not the influencing factor in my life.

The real life video game.. It's not a game..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wf-UIl5S8o

We have people over in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting and dying in actual warfare. Many of those that don't die come back wounded both physically and psychologically. That people want to turn that into a game is disgusting. If they're so anxious to experience war, perhaps they ought to join the military and experience the real thing.

War is no game. And it is most certainly not "awesome".

Violent video games are desensitizing.
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Harmless fun. Just had a birthday party where it was all about these types of video games.