If I may, I feel like violence in video games today is a lot like a person's desensitation to porn.
You first discover it, it's this magical, shocking thing - forbidden fruit. Angelina Jolie's tits = finishing moves in Mortal Kombat, back in 1991.
But as we progress and become exposed to more and more of this shocking thing, our tastes change. Angelina Jolie's tits just don't do it for us anymore, so we seek out greater thrills. And before we know it, we are on a path of total desensitization, getting our base jollies off on things that any normal human being would be totally reviled by.
And as games get more and more realistic, the shock factor isn't so cartoony anymore, like it was playing Resident Evil on PS1 or DOOM on your PC. Tearing people apart in The Darkness 2 as they scream in agony, helpless to defend themselves. That's fucked up. Really, really fucked up.
But, like porn, it's cathartic, it releases our stresses of the day. But really, how healthy is that for our brains? Especially when more and more games these days rely on such over the top violence?
I do not, by any means, think violent video games incite violent people, but consider this: People bitch and whine about politicians like Jack Thompson, but really if you think about it, is it any wonder there's such a strong petition by government officials when they are shown examples of what a modern video game is?
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