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== Popularity & Controversy ==

== Popularity & Controversy ==

Games have risen in popularity over the years,as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the 1980s until today. This has brought with it a various amount of controversy as the video game industry continues to grow with its original player base.  

Games have risen in popularity over the years, as is shown in the rise of video games sales from the 1980s until today. This has brought with it a various amount of controversy as the video game industry continues to grow with its original player base.  

As with any new phenomenon; books, newspapers, radios, television, movies the majority of smart free-thinking individuals will share skepticism and suspect nefarious motives at first glance. However after the phenomenon has been put to the test and showed to be harmless to moral, self controlling individuals, many will keep an unstructured and superstition like bias. When added with the medias love for exploiting the ignorance of the public, fear and controversy will be prolonged, increasing their ratings and fattening their wallets. As people now properly have stopped blaming television for the effects of the destruction of the family and loss of god;video games promptly steps into the firing line. While video games have been around since the 80s it wasn't until around 2005 until games technologically evolved to the point at which they could portray a decent amount of violence.  

As with any new phenomenon; books, newspapers, radios, television, movies the majority of smart free-thinking individuals will share skepticism and suspect nefarious motives at first glance. However after the phenomenon has been put to the test and showed to be harmless to moral, self controlling individuals, many will keep an unstructured and superstition like bias. When added with the medias love for exploiting the ignorance of the public, fear and controversy will be prolonged, increasing their ratings and fattening their wallets. As people now properly have stopped blaming television for the effects of the destruction of the family and loss of god;video games promptly steps into the firing line. While video games have been around since the 80s it wasn't until around 2005 until games technologically evolved to the point at which they could portray a decent amount of violence.  

However, in 2011, the Supreme Court denied a ban on the sale of violent video games in California, claiming they were protected as they "qualify for First Amendment Protection" and pointing out that there has historically been no shortage of violent imagery in children's fairy tales, classical literature, and comics. Writing for the majority, Justice Scala pointed out that "disgust is not a valid basis for restricting expression", and continued that any effects of violent video games on children "are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media".<ref>[https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/08-1448.pdf BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, ET AL. v. ENTERTAINMENT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION ET AL.]</ref>

However, in 2011, the Supreme Court denied a ban on the sale of violent video games in California, claiming they were protected as they "qualify for First Amendment Protection" and pointing out that there has historically been no shortage of violent imagery in children's fairy tales, classical literature, and comics. Writing for the majority, Justice Scala pointed out that "disgust is not a valid basis for restricting expression", and continued that any effects of violent video games on children "are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media".<ref>[https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/08-1448.pdf BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, ET AL. v. ENTERTAINMENT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION ET AL.]</ref>

The term "violent" is often misused among anti-gamers, most experienced individuals who know what they are talking about do not consider Fortnite violent. Many ignorant people will claim that Call of Duty, Battlefield, GTA V are "extremely violent". It is not to be denied that these games are violent, but none feature dismemberment, or a decent amount of blood enough to be considered "Extremely Violent". While titles like GTA V contain sexual content and are not suitable for children call of duty and battlefield do not. The ignorance of anti-gamers has caused wide spread confusion and actually has harmed children in some cases. Thanks to anti-gamer spin the real problems of some games have been masked, games like GTA V do not feature an extreme amount of violence yet do feature a good deal of pornographic content. While games like Call of Duty, and Battlefield do not feature levels of violence not suitable for 11 and 12 year olds anti gamer spin has overexerted their levels of violence. Children should not to be exposed to extreme amounts of violence as their brains have not developed the ability to separate fiction from reality. When anti-gamers call everything extremely violent people including parents stop taking them seriously; causing many to believe that actually extremely violent games like Resident Evil, Wolfenstein, Outlast, and Doom have been exaggerated.  

 

The term "violent" is often misused among those opposed to video games; most experienced individuals who know what they are talking about do not consider Fortnite violent. Many ignorant people will claim that Call of Duty, Battlefield, GTA V are "extremely violent". It is not to be denied that these games are violent, but none feature dismemberment, or a significant enough amount of blood to be considered "Extremely Violent". While titles like GTA V contain sexual content and are not suitable for children, Call of Duty and Battlefield do not.

It has also been suggested that it is the role of parents to regulate what their children play, and that laws restricting video game vendors are an effort to replace parents' decisions with the government's decisions.<ref>https://www.deseretnews.com/article/700150989/Violent-games-2-Its-parents-responsibility-to-monitor-what-kids-play.html</ref><ref>https://segmentnext.com/2018/03/09/dear-parents-take-responsibility-kids-stop-blaming-video-games/</ref>

It has also been suggested that it is the role of parents to regulate what their children play, and that laws restricting video game vendors are an effort to replace parents' decisions with the government's decisions.<ref>https://www.deseretnews.com/article/700150989/Violent-games-2-Its-parents-responsibility-to-monitor-what-kids-play.html</ref><ref>https://segmentnext.com/2018/03/09/dear-parents-take-responsibility-kids-stop-blaming-video-games/</ref>

[[File:Stephen-Fry.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|The [[Atheism|atheist]] [[Stephen Fry]] said, "I do enjoy [[Video games|video gaming]]... In the early days of games, I would spend hours. I mean literally. I would find it would be 4AM, and I would say: 'God, I have be at work at 6.'"<ref>[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeuj29_stephen-fry-talks-gaming_news Stephen Fry talks gaming]</ref> ''See also: [[Irreligion, video game usage and obesity]] and [[Atheism and obesity]]'' ]]

[[File:Stephen-Fry.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|The [[Atheism|atheist]] [[Stephen Fry]] said, "I do enjoy [[Video games|video gaming]]... In the early days of games, I would spend hours. I mean literally. I would find it would be 4AM, and I would say: 'God, I have be at work at 6.'"<ref>[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeuj29_stephen-fry-talks-gaming_news Stephen Fry talks gaming]</ref> ''See also: [[Irreligion, video game usage and obesity]] and [[Atheism and obesity]]'' ]]

''See [[young mass murderers]] for their connection to video games''.<br />

''See [[young mass murderers]] for their connection to video games''.<br />

Video games have been accused of being linked to [[Young Mass Murderers|murders by young people]] and other [[violence]], stress-induced health problems (including unexpected heart attacks),<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/russian-teenager-dies-after-playing-online-computer-game-defence-of-the-ancients-for-22-days-in-a-row/story-fnh81p7g-1227512824314 Teenager dies from a video game addiction]</ref> [[atheism]], [[obesity]],<ref>[http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ Childhood Obesity] Department of Health and Human Services, retrieved Sept 18th 2011</ref> and [[sexual immorality]]. Several prominent murderers in recent years were inspired by video games.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-316491/Teenager-gets-life-Manhunt-murder.html</ref><ref>Adelmann, Bob (August 5, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/33028-search-for-motives-in-recent-mass-shootings-ignores-impact-of-violent-video-games Motives in Recent Mass Shootings Should Include Impact of Violent Video Games]. ''The New American''. Retrieved August 5, 2019.</ref>  [[Young mass murderer]] [[Adam Lanza]] was "immersed in a perverse video game world" and "killed himself to prevent law enforcement from taking his 'points.'"  He plotted his rampage far in advance and "learned the principles of ... the tactical reload" from his [[video games]].

Video games have been accused of being linked to [[Young Mass Murderers|murders by young people]] and other [[violence]], stress-induced health problems (including unexpected heart attacks),<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/russian-teenager-dies-after-playing-online-computer-game-defence-of-the-ancients-for-22-days-in-a-row/story-fnh81p7g-1227512824314 Teenager dies from a video game addiction]</ref> [[atheism]], [[obesity]],<ref>[http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ Childhood Obesity] Department of Health and Human Services, retrieved Sept 18th 2011</ref> and [[sexual immorality]]. Several prominent murderers in recent years were inspired by video games.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-316491/Teenager-gets-life-Manhunt-murder.html</ref><ref>Adelmann, Bob (August 5, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/33028-search-for-motives-in-recent-mass-shootings-ignores-impact-of-violent-video-games Motives in Recent Mass Shootings Should Include Impact of Violent Video Games]. ''The New American''. Retrieved August 5, 2019.</ref>  [[Young mass murderer]] [[Adam Lanza]] was "immersed in a perverse video game world" and "killed himself to prevent law enforcement from taking his 'points.'"  He plotted his rampage far in advance and "learned the principles of ... the tactical reload" from his [[video games]].