Like most of my generation I’ve watched military first-aid films of a very graphic type. Nothing I’ve seen including self-defence and sniper footage can compare with the desensitisation effect of these so-called games. DA reader Dave Parkin wrote this in a note to me. Attached was an extract from the September issue of Psychology Today.
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Dave is referring to the new “virtual reality” craze. The American CNBC website says that 700,000 virtual reality units will be sold by year’s end.
If you were thinking of buying one of these latest gimmicks as a present for your teens, perhaps think again.
These latest games are not played on a computer screen.
The virtual reality unit features a headpiece that totally surrounds the viewer’s eyes and ears.
The “game” is played with a 3D screen giving a 120 degree view, plus surround-sound.
The head-piece completely isolates the player from their surroundings, and reality.
“Moving around is easy, effortless and fun. At first you move around tentatively, letting your senses adjust to the world like a baby taking its first steps. Then you start to get the hang of it and suddenly it becomes a natural extension of your body. You can fly, you zoom, and throw things at other things with ease,” the HTC Vive description enthuses.
The Virtual Reality Society in the UK says games are becoming very popular with many teenagers who love the graphics, animations and being able to talk to others.
It’s interacting “with top end technology and without any adults to get in the way.”
Translated, doesn’t that mean no room for parental supervision, or monitoring of what is being watched?
The problem is in the games, which almost always have a violent theme. Psychology Today gives the example of Call of Duty, set in 1944, which has sold 250,000 copies.
“You aim your bazooka and pull the trigger, sending the tank flying in a cloud of fire and molten steel. Somebody yells, ‘One down, keep it up!’ You run toward the burning wreck and see a Japanese soldier, whose legs have been blown off, writhing in agony. You pull out your machine gun, point it at his face, and fire.”
Psychology Today talks about the implications for players’ mental health, arguing that the known correlations between violent video games and aggression, “coupled with the intensifying nature of VR”, should make us think.
“When you’re used to pointing a gun, whether in virtual reality or on a video screen, you’re desensitised to the act of killing,” the magazine argues.
A 2010 study at Ohio State University found that “exposure to violent video games was significantly related to higher levels of aggressive behaviour….” Other studies found links to “… stress, anger and diminished empathy.”
So if you’re thinking of buying one of these gimmicks for your teenager at Christmas, here are some mentions from Psychology Today. There’s one which simulates the attacks on 9/11, putting gamers in the World Trade Centre, complete with the experience of jumping to one’s death. Or there’s Until Dawn: Rush of Blood in which the player must battle an axe-wielding, clown faced killer!
As Dave wrote in his note to me, “Basic firearms safety says never point a gun at something you don’t want to shoot.” Unfortunately these games don’t come with Dave’s CMF military training.
