Matt Wedin
FreeSLO.com
The world is not PAC-Man & Donkey Kong anymore. The realism found in contemporary video games is amazing. Yet, it is also frightening, which causes one to speculate whether the makers of modern video games have motives other than providing entertainment and education.
Video games can serve as positive educational tools that make learning fun and more productive. Conversely, violent video games could make people more violent, sparking debate as to whether or not they really serve as useful outlets for aggression and stress.
But what if a bigger question exists in relation to these incredibly lifelike games: What are they teaching players both consciously and subconsciously? And: Is it possible game developers may not just be programming the games, but also those who play them?
VIDEO GAME MIND CONTROL?
3 scenes from above video are from Mature 17+ rated games:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield 3
SCENES FROM VIDEO
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Russian airport massacre, in which the player is a "good-guy" CIA agent who has infiltrated a "terror" cell.
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War on the streets of the USA, fighting the Russians who invaded.
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United States ground invasion into Tehran, Iran.
With an ever increasing likelihood of an air war with Iran, it is possible that a very popular video game promoting a ground invasion of the Iranian capital may subconsciously be preparing the American public for the scenario to occur in reality.
Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at University of Missouri Bruce Bartholow, PhD. has conducted research into people who have played violent video games and had the following to say on The Agenda with Steve Paikin:
VIDEO GAMES AND VIOLENCE
Host: "Can we say even young children don't know the difference between the screen and reality?”
Dr. Bartholow: "No, they do understand the difference, that's not really my point. My point is that despite understanding the difference people are affected in ways they may not be aware of. The whole history of research on cognitive psychology is basically that there are affects of environmental stimuli people are exposed to all the time that they're not even aware of. So we don't need to 'put it together' consciously that there is some difference, or there is no difference. What's going on under the surface is unconsciously people are affected in ways they probably don't even realize, and therefore it's hard for them to understand what's happening."
If video games do program the subconscious, is it possible that game developers use virtual reality to precondition people to future events only they know about? If so, the most important question becomes: what really do video games teach?
Matthew Wedin is a veteran of the US Navy, a nurse, a Liberty Correspondent for FreeSLO.com and a lifelong defender of freedom.
