No doubt about that. But watching, and doing, virtual killing is such a graphic way is way different than watching "The Rifleman" in the days of old. It's nuts.

I know very little about the current video games, but I gotta say that some of the popular cartoons for little kids are a lot better for them than the stuff I watched as a kid. My grandchildren watch cartoons that all promote things like sharing, friendship, obeying your parents, and dealing with difficulty. They will watch things like Daniel Tiger for hours; gotta believe some of those messages connect at some level.

Then when their parents aren't around I will switch it over to Foghorn Leghorn and we will watch him torment the dog just for the sport of it. Our 5 yr old told her mother after her last visit with us that Pawpaw let's her watch cartoons that are funny, but they really don't promote friendship.

I'm 52 and not horrified. But I know it's creating and intensifying the mental health situation for several reasons:

— The most popular games involve killing with guns and bombs - Fortnite, Call of Duty, etc. - and thus the kids playing them become numb to the results. The gaming industry is so rife with money, though, it can line the pockets of politicians to blunt the "these are bad" complaints (just like the music industry 20-25 years ago)

— Teenagers' brains are still developing on multple levels and sitting in front of screens for hours with images flashing absolutely cannot be healthy. Physical changes in the brain, not to mention the emotional ones, have been proven via CAT scans and such. But no one wants to listen to the Dan the Doctor or Polly Purity or Pete Politician saying teens need exercise, good food, less time on electronics and e-stimulation, more outdoors pursuits, clean air and water, etc. Those folks - even though they're right - are told to mind their own business and let parents do what they want with their kids.

— Toss in the "energy drinks" like Red Bull and Monster or sodas and it's another layer. Likely some uppers or other amphetamines are involved in some way by some of them.

We had an Atari "Pong" game when I was a teen so I've literally seen every video game from the start. Pong was harmless and boring. Centipede and Pac-Man and Tron were harmless, other than financially. But when this chit got into the homes with X-Box and turned into "shoot everyone, shoot the cops, shoot shoot shoot wargames" and the intensity got deeper, and you could play with other folks simultaneously, and the weapons and cars and whatever looked more realistic (and they continue to evolve), things got worse. There's no denying it.

I went to school with that guy, he always seemed ok but I guess some people just flip out, I think I could have come up with an easier way to kill my self than with a chain saw.....

I think the biggest difference is that the games these days are first person, you are the one pulling the trigger, or throwing the grenade, the Westerns and war movies we watched way back when were just that, movies or tv shows we had no interaction other than sitting there watching, plus the games these days are way more violent than any of the old westerns...

I see kids that struggle with it. Most of them are anti-social loners that seem to have the trouble. My son played them all and never had trouble separating them from reality. For some it seems to be the only identity they have. I think the lack of actual inter personal communication is the problem.

I’ve sat and watched my kids play the first person video games and after doing so, have greatly limited their time on there. Not just because of content but twice, it has literally made me sick and my stomach. I know that sounds crazy. I guess its because of the motion and such. Anyway, it can’t be good or them.

I used to love playing the car game where one of us was the speeder and the other was the police. Lol!

I hope you drove in the left lane!

Fortnite is the most popular on-line game right now and it's pretty lame as far as violence goes. You shoot people but there's no blood and they disappear as soon as you eliminate them. Grand Theft Auto V is very graphic, with different levels of content which allow you to have sex with prostitutes, kill the prostitute when you're done, and commit school shootings.

I don't think video games alone cause teen violence but if there are other high risk deals (depression, family problems, drug use etc) going on with the kid then I think it can contribute. On the flip side, kids aren't out drinking at 16 as much as they used to because they are home on Saturday night playing fortnite with their friends.

Take a minute and check this guy out, he's an authority on all of this.

https://www.philchalmers.com/

General you're spot on about the difference between those 2 games except that you can't commit a school shooting in GTA V. But thats not the point.
The point is Fortnite is made for kids as young 12 to adults. GTA V should not be in the hands of some one who is not mature. And thats where parenting comes in. Know what your kids are playing. No way anyone under the age of 15 or 16 should be playing GTA V even at that age its important to make sure that kid can separate the game from reality.

You have to kill the prostitute when you’re done to get your money back, and as he said no school shootings. Actually, if you prefer, you can get in a cop car and stop people from committing crimes.

I miss Pong

That fact the game promotes, grand theft, prostitutes, lap dances, sex, killing, drugs, stealing, etc is enough for me and my family. "Extensively marketed and widely anticipated, the game broke industry sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, earning $800 million in its first day and $1 billion in its first three days" just speaks volumes.

Do you watch movies with those things? No difference in my opinion

If I will not let the person in my house and hang with my wife and kids, then I will not let them in via my TV set. I will not glorify something that is against what a Christain home should be the example off.

Its the same reason movies like Pulp fiction, The Godfather, Scarface, Wolf of Wall Street, etc. sell. Once again its about knowing what you're kids are consuming. not all video games are bad.

Strong stance

Here is another layer of the evil that is video games. The designers or programmers makes it so that the less than average coordinated kid can easily pick up a controller and very quickly (if not instantly) become proficient at playing the game. This is especially true for the younger audience game players... like 6, 7 or 8 years old. They get used to immediate success, then when you can get them outside and they pick up a fishing rod, tent pole, boat paddle, a baseball glove, a football helmet, a basketball, a 30/30 or 243, etc.... they are conditioned to expect immediate success. Well, most of us know that most of the time, anything done with the items I just listed takes a little more time than 5 minutes to get good at. The kid who quickly fails at the outside activity feels like a failure, and then chooses to go back to what he/she does well (playing the video games), rather than to 'stick to' it, and work out the kinks, that will eventually lead to becoming proficient at something other than thumb-wrestling a plastic controller.

NOT GOOD... because all those other things mimic life ... as in nobody is good at that stuff (and hence life) right out of the gate. In order to get better at it, you HAVE to fail, evaluate why you failed, then make the corrections and try it again. Kids these days (and I'm including my own kids in this) expect to be good at stuff that takes years to become proficient in, in a very short period of time, and are frustrated to the point of giving up when they don't catch the 10 pound bass the first time they toss out the worm, or kill the booner buck 5 minutes into their first hunt of the season, or be able to handle a little bit of river current in a kayak on their first trip to the river. We live in and are programmed to live in an instant gratification world, where if you can't do something right away, well, there's always video games to play back at the house in the air conditioning.

And you can take it away from them at your house, but when they go to school, guess who has the latest game on their phone or Ipad... You guessed it... their best friend, who doesn't mind a bit if little Johnny plays it on the bus, during lunch or break, or class when they are supposed to be learning something at school. Ask me how I know...

Agree. Like so many things in life, moderation is important.