I won't lie, I didn't read what anyone else posted, so if I happen to steal any ideas, sorry, we just think alike.

I don't think that games are responsible for violence, any more that MTV is responsible for teens getting knocked up. As for teens liking shitty music, MTV is totally at fault.

It's really up to the parents to pay attention to what their kids are doing and playing, and it's even moreso their responsibility to instill a sense of fantasy and reality, and right and wrong. Think about it, if a kid is only given violent games, like Gears, GTA and the like, and isn't really told that the situations are fictional, how are they to discern? It doesn't help that the games are getting more and more realistic in terms of sound a graphics, since reality and realism are huge factors nowadays. Take a look at Call of Duty, which strives for authenticity, and take a look at Gears, which strives for photo realism. If you put those to games specialties together, you'd up with the most realistic and graphic war game ever, which could possibly induce PTSD like symptoms. A 10 year old doesn't need that shit.

Case in point, it's up to the parents to decide what games their kids play. The developers will make the games regardless; it's up to the parent to know their kid and to know how mature they are to handle topics such as violence, war, drug use and the like. I don't even think that such things are even necessarily bad for children know of, but the actual sights may be too much. Like, we all have our own concepts of war, just as I'm sure 10 year olds do, but the more you see, the more graphic and horrific things get. Even drug use; you can picture your stereotypical junkie, and then you can picture the hardcore graphic one.

I think that providing concepts of such things to children isn't a bad idea, but showing them the real deal is just setting them up for trauma.

This all relates back to violence in games. I think that if properly educated about the difference between fantasy and reality, videogames pose no problem. Hell, when I'm stressed about something, I'll occasionally start up Gears and go a few rounds, and I'll be fairly relaxed. At the same time, I also know that the Locust aren't trying to kill me, or any of that jazz. The worst that happens is that if I get killed in a bad spot, I'll prob curse or punch my hand on my mattress, no big deal.

I can't really vouch for games and players of World of Warcraft and Everquest. I can't touch that shit simply because I can't sit at my comp for hours upon hours. I also have no desire to play anything in that genre, but from what I've heard, it's like crack.