In the wake of yet another tragedy taking place in Florida, it seems like all the typical rhetoric is being played out. Some blame mental illness, others blame guns, and a few blame video Games. In a recent speech, Trump briefly railed against the gaming industry before taking a surprisingly progressive view on gun control. This is an interesting move for the Republican, seeing as the party typically sides with the NRA on this issue. What will happen if Trump does manage to pass gun control reforms, and how will it affect how the media portrays him?
Only time will tell.
Attacks and defenses
The political attacks against video games are nothing new, and honestly it's not even a one-sided issue. The NRA has blamed video games for years, but back in 2005, so did Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, prominent progressives like Stephen Colbert and respected conservatives like Marco Rubio have defended them. Some have criticized video games for other reasons, such as sexism or potentially causing short attention spans, but have not blamed them for violence.
Culture and change
Honestly, the whole argument over video games is nothing new, nor is it necessarily about gaming in and of itself. Take a look back at American history, from Elvis, to metal music, to "Dungeons And Dragons," to hip-hop, to video games.
At this point, it almost seems like a rite of passage to have to defend something popular against backlash from an older generation that doesn't completely understand it. Honestly, I'm surprised that a lot of people still don't get it. It's never about violence or evil, or hatred. Half of it is the sheer thrill of going against societal norms, the basic sense of rebellion that nearly everyone encounters growing up.
The other half is usually because a lot of these mediums have something to say that doesn't get said a lot. Metal music was among the first genres to tackle issues of depression and drug addiction. "Dungeons and Dragons" is all about escapism and venturing outside of one's comfort zone. Hip-hop music tackled issues of inner city violence, institutional racism and several other issues.
Video games have said a lot over the years, too, and little by little, people are using this medium to say things that have never been said before. Sure, there are always those who court controversy just for the sake of controversy, and those that take things way too far, but those are often exceptions. Usually, when something is controversial, it's because it has something important to say.
