Grand Theft Auto 4 was released this week. The forth installment of the Grand Theft Auto series reportedly had $400 million in sales on the FIRST day! This is a video game that allows you to shoot people, drive drunk, run people over, and even pick up prostitutes. The effects of Grand Theft Auto games have been debated since its initial release. Some people claim that because the violence isn't real, it has no lasting harmful effects on those who play the game. Others think it is unhealthy for people to play such games that promote the outlandish activities mentioned earlier. I tend to agree with the latter of the two.
There is no way that a game filled with such violence and sexuality can be good for people to play. I believe the numbers ($400 million) from the first day gives us a great indication where this world is at and where we are headed. Am I going as far as to say that because a person plays this game, they will be a rapist or a murderer or drive the streets of their town drunk...no. I do believe that what enters our minds has the POTENTIAL to be fleshed out. I have heard stories time and time again how the affair started because of pornography. How the alcoholic started with just a glass of wine at dinner, and now he has lost his family. How the gambler started with a simple night of poker with the boys and now he is thousands of dollars in debt.
I was amazed how many students in class today thought that the video game could have a negative effect on a person's thinking, yet they said they would still play when given the opportunity. The number was well over 70%. Maybe, just maybe, it is time for parents to STEP UP and get involved in their kid's lives. Then, maybe, just maybe, the culture would change. Just a thought.
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