The release of the Playstation 3(PS3) and the Nintendo Wii is this weekend, and also I'd like to say that  the new slew of Xbox360 games makes this system rock as well. I've been an avid gamer since the apple IIe, Ive had almost all the major system up till now. Yes I'm getting my PS3 and my Wii but sheesh at almost $2000 combined  its a hobbie that gets really expensive.
    Any ways i thought todays blog by me should be about video game. Many go on record saying that DOOM, Grand Theft Auto or others spread violence to kids, reenacting certain scenes to kill or maim or beat up people. Sheesh its just another scapegoat to point your fingers at when your parenting failed. Thats rite, like the other blogs Ive posted the main factor is the parenting and distribution of correct knowledge on gaming. I love video games, its an interactive form of art, kinda like a book, u hear about it then u read the book and get involved with the characters and BAm u indulged yourself in a story with imagination and intrigue. Just like books , video games are the same thing. You play a character thru a story, doing what u need to get to your ultimate goal, to finish.
    There have been lawsuits against all kinds of media over the years.
Books are one of the greatest targets of “public protection” suits; consider Harry Potter, Huck Finn, Catcher in the Rye, etc. You can find lists of banned books online, the reasons tend to be borderline comical. Ultimately books tend to come out fairly unscathed, I think largely due to the fact that the written word has been around so damn long.
    The movies had their troubles, initially not being granted First Amendment protections (in the teens). This led to banning and, eventually, self-regulation via the Hays Code and, later, MPAA ratings. As far as I know, movies do have First Amendment protection now.
    Comic books had government inquiries in the 50s, leading to the Comics Code Authority (CCA), which is now largely obsolete. Many comics still include mature content warnings, however.
    Music, like books gets targeted every now and then; Elvis Presley’s hip shaking and 2 Live Crew are two examples from the last 50 years or so. Like books, music tends to win out, again due partly to history. However we do have Explicit Lyrics labels now.
    The fine arts (painting, sculpture, etc.) get targeted fairly frequently as well, with much less publicity and rarely with any success at all.
    Video games had their troubles too, DOOM was pegged to create harm in a Colorado school shooting, Grand Theft Auto was a major target for popular Lawyer Jack Thompson (who all video game nerds know by now) with the hot coffee patch. And even to this day Lara croft or Bloodrayne displays sexy poses to get gamer attention. most video games reflect pop culture and has no indication of slowing down.
    My son, who is 4 can play a challenging game of halo or even beat me at Marvel vs Capcon, hes 4..... anyways i teach him the wrongs an rites of reality and virtual worlds he understands u cant take a plasma sword and cut of heads to imposing aliens in real life. He does understand what it is to hurt people, even when hes not playing games his imagination is so vivid i smile.
    It seems with todays society with rules and regulations our imagination are being limited. I remember in grade school i played Oregon trail on the class computer a great game learning about settlers in America. kids don't get  that anymore cuz games are sometimes labeled evil which is sad. with todays technology its bound to become a mainstream.
    ANYWAYS video games has always been a stress reliever for me and its fun so i go now to play with my son and hopefully i can beat him this time

SIGHHHHHH...........