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The Games Kids Play
John Stossel Looks at Debate Over Violent Video Games

Lt. Col. David Grossman is a former Army psychologist who specialized in training soldiers for combat. He says video games teach children “the skill and the will to kill.” (ABCNEWS.com)

March 22 — Like most things these days, video games are more varied and advanced, more interesting — but also more violent.

In many of them, the objective is to kill opponents as quickly as possible.

To many, the popularity of the games raises worrisome questions: What effect do they have on kids? Do they make them more violent in real life? Oftentimes, when kids are asked, they laugh at the idea that the games make them more violent.

20/20’s John Stossel set out to discuss the issue with folks on both sides of the violent video games debate. He started out by talking to one of the most vociferous opponents of the games, Lt. Col. David Grossman, a former army psychologist who specialized in training soldiers to kill without hesitation.

The ‘Violence Hurts’ Theory
Grossman believes video games teach violence. He says today’s video games require so much bloody killing that the Marines use them to desensitize recruits, to make them less squeamish about real killing. He believes children exposed to the video games may become desensitized, and may begin to enjoy the act of killing opponents on-screen.

“We are teaching children to associate pleasure with human death and suffering. We are rewarding them, for killing people. And we are teaching them to like it,” he says. Grossman has become an important voice in the debate, taking his message to visible forums including Congress and the media.

Grossman believes that entertainment offerings that carry heavy violent content such as video games, violent movies, and professional wrestling should be stringently regulated. “We need to treat these products like we would guns… tobacco [and] alcohol, or sex,” Grossman says. “We need to restrict a child’s access to it,” he adds.

The Game Players
Those who disagree with Grossman often argue that if America is a free society, then game makers, players, and anyone who is not violent, ought to be allowed to entertain themselves any way they want. They point out that violent people are responsible for their violent actions, not the game makers.

Stossel spoke to Todd Hollenshead, CEO of the company that made the popular game “Doom,” who says that his company just tried to make something entertaining. “Our games are like modern day computer versions of cowboys and indians,” he says. He believes the violence exhibited in “Doom” is comparable in context, to what is seen in cartoons, such as Wiley Coyote and Road Runner.

Responding to Grossman, Hollenshead argues that FBI crime statistics show that violence has gone down every year since 1992. He also points out that the murder rate now is at the lowest it’s been in 30 years. “This has happened while… the video game business has grown from $100 million a year… in 1985 to a $7 billion a year business today,” Hollenshead adds.

A Few Questions
After listening to both sides, Stossel did some digging. He found that even though the U.S Surgeon General seems to agree with Grossman’s assertion that “Doom” desensitizes recruits, it turns out that the Surgeon General’s position is based on Grossman’s statements which have never been peer reviewed. Also the Marines deny that they have ever used the game “Doom” to desensitizes recruits. They told Stossel that “Doom” is used to teach eye and hand coordination and to help develop teamwork.

In the end, Stossel says the best we can do now is to ask ourselves a few questions. Who do we want to determine what we may, or may not, watch or play. Should it be up to individual parents, or should the government appoint an expert to do that for us?

SEARCH ABCNEWS.com FOR MORE ON … In This Series Lt. Col. Grossman (Chat Transcript) Related Stories 20/20: The Games Kids Play (Transcript) W E B L I N K S Lt. Col. David Grossman’s site ID Software

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