Media construct fantasy worlds

Today, video games are huge. Millions of people all over the world are playing video games daily. Spending hours everyday sitting in their basement watching a screen. It is safe to say that hunders of new video games are released every year. These games are rated and labelled restricting certain games to certain ages. The question is: what do these labels really mean and how much influence does it have on the consumers?

The most popular game sold today is Call of Duty. It started as one and has expanded to multiple sequels of the original with its success. Call of Duty is rated "M" which stands for "Mature" restricting this game to users above the age of 17. Many have concerns over the fact that this game is a gateway for children to be open to violence. Maybe they think its 'cool'. Naturally, it is the case with young boys (largest gender consumer) to be influenced by a video game of such realism. The game is incredibly realistic and it proves how long of a way technology has come. However, some do speculate that this perticular video game is a reason for so much violence on the streets.

The problem is, most of the users are under the age requirement that is clearly stated in each commercial and on each cover for the disc. How are the kids getting their hands on this game? It is either the clerk are Future Shop blindly over-looking this rather large detail or the parents are buying it for their children (which is more likely).

Tolerance today has been set to a bar so blurry, there is really no telling to what is appropriate or not. Not only is the main object of the game violence, but there is also lots of foul language, sexuality and drug relation.

 

Many even speculate that many young boys are influenced to join the army and to turn their video fantasy into a reality. The soldiers themselves will say that this is obsurd. Who knows? In my opinion,  this video game is the next best thing from shooting from shooting real middle-eastern soldiers. 

In the end, people are always saying that video games can't actually hurt anyone and they are just there to fill in the need, the curiosity to find out what it would be like to blow up a helicopter in the middle of a huge battlefiled, but if a young man in influenced by this, goes off to fight somewhere and is killed, someone definately has been hurt.

I don't know about you, but these guys sure look 'cool' and worry-free in this battle zone.

Here is a link to the official Call of Duty commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuzaxlddWbk