I hope this doesn't come off as too A holey, but...

I have been working in the games industry for 20+ years and I have always been an advocate for freedom in game creation/development. But I must say that I don't agree with the sentiment that violence in games doesn't promote violent behavior in some kids or games don't at the very least famiarize the player with how to shoot in some shooting games (for example: Call of Duty, Gears of War).
There are many games where you can make your own levels, maps, etc, run in squad formations, blah blah blah.

Maybe I'm becoming more conservative in my views? I don't think so, but I do believe violent video games do play a role in some of these mass shootings as does movies and TV that sensationalizes violence, then there is bullying, absentee parenting, TV and internet instead of actual socializing with friends

Take a look and then YouTube active shooter video game
http://thehill.com/homenews/media/389538-companies-under-fire-for-creating-school-shooting-video-game

Thoughts?

I just came off a stint working for Intel writing automation for an app that assists game developers and OEMs in reducing GPU bottlenecks and the time there with gamers was fascinating. The big money is in Virtual Reality or VR as it's used. I was the only non gamer but got into Steam at home to practice my skills and since we used it at work all day. By definition a gamer in my eyes is someone who spends over $1000/yr on games and some of the expense can be on wardrobe or other non essential game items.

One story is a guy who I worked with at Intel was in a group that would play together online and they met up once and one participant was a psychiatrist with the VA in OKC who would spend time at work gaming. Your tax dollars at work.

I do know while working for Future Combat Systems some years ago that DoD came up with gaming years ago for many reasons: train men on repetitive war fighter like tasks but also desensitize people on confronting an enemy. Remember in Iraq they would have circus tent size area devote to game playing for soldiers back from mission? There was a big push in both theaters for getting Xboxes to the remote locations for troops to 'wind down'. I also remember reading about a Lt Col saying how the Army should recruit from the gamers since that is the near future skill set the Army needed, as far as remotely piloted UAVs, ground vehicles, etc. It was also mentioned that gamers who spend the most time on games get addicted and get lost in the game to where the line between reality and fantasy gets blurred. This is especially true in games like World of Warcraft, which I tested on quite a bit. Psychologists are used in many to draw and keep people in hooked like crack.

Anyway, lots of games are becoming bizarre and twisted. I have gamed from the late 70s on my Ohio Scientific, later TRS 80 Model 1, then CoCo on primitive graphics and I can unwind with a good game, like a Scott Adams Adventure series. But today's creations I think are fodder for high school shooters. Not total causation, but a training device for someone mentally unstable.

America's Army is also a government funded game which draws in a lot of data on you (spying) which like Facebook and google, is collected and maybe used on you.

https://www.msadams.com/downloads.htm

I haven't been in as long as you and it is an interesting industry in itself. But I DO make the connection given the fact of previous US DoD funding to make people into killers, i.e. soldiers (clarify: we kill the enemy). I don't mean that as an insult, I was an infantryman myself, and you need to turn it on in young men to accomplish a mission. The problem is turning it off for some people.

The other problem is after Desert Storm was the whole DoD battle simulation centers is a way IMO to enrich contractors to get soldiers to sit a building pretending to be soldiers instead of having field exercises and exercising NCOs, getting dirty, cleaning weapons, performing maintenance, etc., something that is always sorely missing with an Army in peacetime. There is a whole apparatus in keeping battle sim centers alive at the expense of what I would call core essential duties. I want to train on the other 95% of duties outside of the glamorous small unit infantry tactics like planning, sustainment, maintenance, security, field craft, etc.

High level staff planning directed training at battle sim centers is GOOD. Low level infantry tactics used here are bad. You've got to carry the weapon, keep it safe and pointed in a safe direction, etc. There is no "time out" in the real fight.

Beware of the copycat effect.

if this observation were true, why would only gun-related video games inspire violence? why not swords, knives, vehicles? help me understand.

They have a mode where you play the unarmed victim.


Good.


Then they'll play the entry team and realize...'having a gun means I can stop the threat and protect myself'...


Who am I kidding, they'll die in the game and claim PTSD..