At times, it’s easier to believe that more bad things happen than good. A killing here, calamity there. In recent times, the gunning down of students by a high school kid in the extremely gun-friendly US. If the real world is as dangerous, can the virtual world be any safer?
Most newbies are shocked when confronted with the amount of pornography, hate, and sexist jokes the net shelters. And if it’s not sex, than it’s violence that sells. For proof, simply log on to one of the many violent game portals around.
"More fun than shooting your neighbour’s cat. It’s time you move up the food chain and take aim at something that sounds better when it explodes. And you can when you grab your gun, included free, that will have you firing until your fingers fall off," reads an add for a video game company in a magazine on popular video games. Shocked? Here’s more.
Can a simple, ‘fun’ game site cause harm? Try Assassins, full of a variety of games that enable players to kill celebrities. Also on offer are games on clubbing animals, politics, religion, drugs, etc. Simply click to assassinate the President, if you must or perhaps you could kill someone who belongs to a different religion.
"Some of the material on and from this site is of a frank nature and is intended for mature audiences only. Please do not enter if you are easily offended", reads the Stick Figure Death Theatre home page.
Whether you’re six or 60 years old, you can log on and watch stick men die. Some in shocking ways -- crushed by weights, run over by cars, limbs pulled apart – others in ways not as gruesome. The site plays upon our fixation with death, and features short GIF animations of hundreds of stickmen. What would a psychological analysis reveal? Probably the pent-up aggression that lies buried in most of us.
You can try ‘tension busters’ in the form of two interactive cartoons at Joe Cartoon’s Web site. One animated film lets you microwave a gerbil, the other, blend a frog. You can’t claim to be an innocent bystander while the frog or gerbil gets it, since it’s you who press the buttons leading to their inevitable deaths. And who can resist going all the way? A bit like trying to put chocolate in your mouth without chewing it.
A couple of final questions: What makes these sites so popular? Why isn’t there a fuss made about TV cartoons? Is it simply because Tom and Jerry live through their bone-cracking and head-crushing escapades?
Maybe it’s the thrill of doing the forbidden and getting away with it. Or the fact that these games give children full rein to destructive tendencies, minus any consequences. They can swear, kill, shoot, and smash without the fear of being reprimanded.
But, at the end of the day, are we sure there’s a crystal-clear distinction, in their minds, between fantasy and real life?
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Soldier of Fortune
Features about 26 different ‘gore’ spots to shoot, stab, or other wise mutilate the enemy (or civilian). Watch innocent people being pushed in front of trains, shot, stabbed, and beaten while praying for their lives.
KingPin
A violent game filled with more four-letter words than Pulp Fiction. Features realistic blood and gore effects, apart from entry wounds and exit wounds for gunshots.
Action
Get set for some happening action. Kill, shoot, stab and go back for more.
Mickey.Mickey
Nothing to do with the Walt Disney character. Lets you dress dolls or perform an autopsy.
Single Ballman
The site claims to have no stick figures but pure high-quality violent, animated cartoons.
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