Viewpoint: The Last American Non-Gaming Teenager Pens Editorial on Game Violence

Not every teenager is a gamer. Only about 99% are. Among that 'other' 1% is Brie Cook, a freshman at Aquinas High School in Augusta, Georgia. In an editorial for the Augusta Chronicle, Cook makes an argument about games that is usually the purview of adult critics in the Jack Thompson vein — namely, that game violence begets the real thing.

Citing the recent case of a 10-year-old boy who suffocated when his friends buried him in a sandbox in imitation of Naruto's "Sand Master," Cook writes:

Video games such as Naruto: Ultimate Ninja are based off of the show. Children will watch the shows, play the video game and start to believe they are that character. When an active-minded child sees a cool stunt or a huge explosion in his favorite cartoon, sooner or later he is bound to attempt them. And when they do, the cartoons aren't to blame; the parents are for allowing their children to watch these violent shows.

Instead of sitting in front of a television playing these games and watching these shows, children and teens should be outside or doing other recreational activities. Parents should encourage their children to do so.

We could go on about the paucity of research supporting the claim or point out that the anecdote she cites is just that, a single point in a tiny sample size. We could also mention that it was precisely playing outdoors that the sad episode she refers to took place. But we won't. The unfortunate truth is that children sometimes imitate the things they see in the media with tragic results. Instead we'll agree with Cook that the answer lies in parenting, whether in the living room or on the playground. We'll also praise her for engaging in a rational debate about the issues that concern her.

[via Augusta Chronicle]