Teenagers and Violence

Last Tuesday, I did something that over 6 million other people did- I went out and bought the new Call of Duty video game. After playing it for a full weekend, my mind is lingering with questions about freedom of expression and it's impact on the youth.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, Call of Duty is essentially about war. In the game's fictional scenario, the American military has been brought down to its knees due to the actions of a corrupt general; Russia has been taken over by ultranationalist terrorists; and a series of chemical attacks in Europe have left it susceptible to armed invasion. The player's role in the game is to stop the war by any means necessary- and in video game terms, that means killing every hostile pixel on screen.

If this all sounds far fetched to you, that's because it is. Call of Duty, along with other similar military shooter games, is not meant to be taken as an accurate portrayal of war and military endeavors. The problem is that video games like Call of Duty are often taken as such- most notably by young teenagers.

There are several reasons why this is dangerous. First of all, video games like Call of Duty portray the military like an action club; in their version of the military, blowing up things and killing people has no consequences. No post-traumatic stress, no need to justify your actions, and obviously, dying in the game will just reset you a few places back.

For many teenagers, this version of the military is desirable, action-packed and patriotic. Teens show up at military recruiting offices in the hundreds after these game come out- and of course, they have absolutely no idea what they're signing up for, no clue as to what horrors actually await them.

Another problem we are seeing is that teens often become desensitized to violence, not only from video games but from movies, music, and television as well. I can't even count how many times I've heard one of my dim-witted friends say "I'm gonna join the Army and go blow up some rag-heads!". Yeah, as if they would ever have the guts to actually do it, let alone comprehend their actions. Teenagers nowadays are getting depressed because their love is unrequited, or they're getting bad grades or they get in a fight with one of their best friends. If they can't handle that, then how will they be able to handle killing someone?

I don't want to sound like I'm blaming the media for "corrupting our youth", because I'm not. I enjoy violent movies, and yes, violent video games. Gaming is just as much an art form as film and literature, and game developers have a First Amendment right to express themselves. The problem here isn't the media- it's us. It is society.

Society has failed its youth because it has neglected, for many years, to teach our children about violence. We try to protect them from it by blocking them from going to R-rated movies or refusing to sell them violent video games. But this effort is not only futile, but morally wrong and potentially dangerous. If we don't teach our kids about killing and violence, then they will teach themselves and subconsciously justify it in their minds. This will lead to more violence in society, and more young boys on foreign battlefields begging to escape the horrors of war that they never knew existed. Journalist Evan Wright's book "Generation Kill" describes this scenario perfectly.

Next time you sit down with your kids, whether they be five years old or fifteen, consider taking a moment to talk with them about violence. Maybe you have some personal experience with the subject- don't hesitate to share it with them. The only ones who can fix this problem is us. Not the media, not the military recruiters. Us.