Once again, the debate about violent video games rages on.Check out this article, posted today on CNN.com, that posits a link between violent video games and aggression in teens. To be sure, the study notes that similar links have been shown in relation to violent television and movies, but that doesn't change the overall argument. According to the study, such video games and other entertainment increase aggressive emotions in teen brains and normalize violence for gamers, desensitizing them to the realities and consequences of violence.
This is not a new argument, and it will probably go on for a long, long time. And the positions of those invovled in the debate are pretty clear and consistent: critics of video games decry the amount of violence in these virtual worlds while teens and video game enthusiasts say that they are being unfairly singled out and that playing video games or watching a violent movie doesn't translate into real life violence or aggression.
Let me be clear: I grew up playing video games, many of which had violent aspects. I would still play video games today if I didn't think it would devastate my productivity. I watched, and still watch, many movies and television shows that contain lots of violence. I've always been a fan of comic books, which are full of violence. I have listened to very aggressive music, and sometimes still do. Throughout my youth I played the violent sport of football and still love to watch it, almost religiously.
Violence has been and continues to be integrated into almost every aspect of my life. Beyond entertainment, the news I watch is full of violence, reflecting the world of violence we live in. The religion I practice and teach has violent themes and stories woven through it from beginning to end.
And I use to think that I proved the point that violence in the media we consume doesn't affect who we are as people. I'm not a violent person. I've never killed or even seriously hurt someone. Sure, I can be aggressive and competitive from time to time, and on occasion I'll "Hulk out" in my own way. But am I violent?
This line of reasoning used to make sense to me. But now I'm not so sure. As I've mentioned elsewhere on this blog, my thinking on this has been greatly challenged by the theological work of Walter Wink. I see the pervasiveness of violence in our society and I wonder what this does to us. Does it reinforce what Wink calls the "myth of redemptive violence", the idea that violence is the best way to right wrongs and accomplish our goals, even when they are just and noble goals?
If Wink is right that Jesus teaches a different way, not violence or pacifism but rather nonviolent resistance, what does this say about the violence that pervades our lives? How can we teach ourselves, and our society, that there is an alternative way if we are constantly bombarded by the violent way?
These are difficult questions that I continue to wrestle with. And I must admit that it's a whole lot easier to stop thinking and go see the new Rambo movie. But that probably just proves my point.
Let me be clear: I grew up playing video games, many of which had violent aspects. I would still play video games today if I didn't think it would devastate my productivity. I watched, and still watch, many movies and television shows that contain lots of violence. I've always been a fan of comic books, which are full of violence. I have listened to very aggressive music, and sometimes still do. Throughout my youth I played the violent sport of football and still love to watch it, almost religiously.
Violence has been and continues to be integrated into almost every aspect of my life. Beyond entertainment, the news I watch is full of violence, reflecting the world of violence we live in. The religion I practice and teach has violent themes and stories woven through it from beginning to end.
And I use to think that I proved the point that violence in the media we consume doesn't affect who we are as people. I'm not a violent person. I've never killed or even seriously hurt someone. Sure, I can be aggressive and competitive from time to time, and on occasion I'll "Hulk out" in my own way. But am I violent?
This line of reasoning used to make sense to me. But now I'm not so sure. As I've mentioned elsewhere on this blog, my thinking on this has been greatly challenged by the theological work of Walter Wink. I see the pervasiveness of violence in our society and I wonder what this does to us. Does it reinforce what Wink calls the "myth of redemptive violence", the idea that violence is the best way to right wrongs and accomplish our goals, even when they are just and noble goals?
If Wink is right that Jesus teaches a different way, not violence or pacifism but rather nonviolent resistance, what does this say about the violence that pervades our lives? How can we teach ourselves, and our society, that there is an alternative way if we are constantly bombarded by the violent way?
These are difficult questions that I continue to wrestle with. And I must admit that it's a whole lot easier to stop thinking and go see the new Rambo movie. But that probably just proves my point.
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