Numbed

Yesterday on the radio I was listening to a program talking about the introduction of an R18+ rating to videogames in Australia. At present, Australia is the only developed country without such a rating. In South Australia they are looking to merge the new R18+ rating with the current MA15+ rating and so scrapping it entirely in regards to videogames, so there is only M and then R18+.

Two days ago I was watching a parenting program on television looking at the affect that different videogames can have on children, 12 year old boys to be specific. It found that the majority of those who played a videogame with violence in it (World War Replica) were much less likely to be helpful, considerate, and thoughtful, in real life than those who were playing a non-violent videogame (football). It was also found that this rolled over into the way that real life violence affected them.

 

Just this morning I heard about a siege which had happened this morning near one of my family. The roads are all blocked off, a police officer was shot. Three are dead, two injured. My reaction was like ‘oh, okay’. Automatic acceptance of this violence, of the situation. It is expected.

With all the violence, all the things which should be unacceptable to us as human beings, being always in front of us, in the news, in television programs, videogames, radio, we just don’t react the same way anymore. Just how numb have we become, and how numb to such things are we making the next generation?

I am in favour of the change in ratings which is occurring with videogames in South Australia, merging the two categories. Saying this, I also understand why the R18+ category has never been in place in Australia for videogames before. The makers of such games in Australia have just had to make sure that the violence and explicit content is at a level low enough to fit the MA15+ category. We shall see how this is received. Hopefully it will give people a better idea of what they are actually purchasing as the line between M and MA15+ has been blurred for a long time.

Is a helping hand going to disappear? The friendly neighbour; the person who stops in the street to help a stranger? The results from the videogame testing may help explain where some of that culture has gone to, but also perhaps suggests that there may be a further decline in such behaviour.

So, I have two questions for you today. First in direct response is, what can we do? And second is, how do you react to violence in the world today... how numb are you?

God Bless