Hey, I'm not going to argue that your 11 year old still developing shouldn't be playing Black Ops 2. Then again, your 11 year old can't legally get Call of Duty Black Ops 2 unless their parents decide to purchase it for them. It's rated M for mature, meaning 17+ to buy it. Same goes for the majority of the more "realistic" games that are "violent" in nature.
Could a 11 year old growing up playing realistic looking violent games with poor parental supervision or teaching in terms of the context one needs to understand with such games cause some issues? Sure, I'd say that's possible. That same 11 year old watching gory and violent Rated R movies in a similar fashion ALSO is likely to be having similar problems. Which takes me back to my original point, Video Games are the scape goat that makes nice sensationalized stories in the media and an easy target...but the reality are underlying issues. In terms of children playing games they can't even legally buy, the issue is parenting not video games.
I have to concur on the parenting.
Does the name Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman ring a bell ?
>"Grossman's law enforcement presentation, "The Bulletproof Mind," covered several subjects in a systematic and understandable progression. He laid the basis for his training by illustrating how we are living in the most violent and brutal times in modern peacetime history. He compared the statistics for assault and murder throughout the world, and extrapolated the numbers taking technological advances in emergency medicine, transportation, and communications into consideration. The colonel described America today as being far more dangerous than even Dodge City in the 1880s. In this context he examined the law enforcement officer's role as the foundation on which modern civilization and democracy rest.
Colonel Grossman next gave a comprehensive explanation of gunfight dynamics from start to aftermath. Drawing from his own research, as well as building on the work of others, Grossman described the anatomy and physiology of changes the body goes through in a life-or-death situation. He spoke about changes in brain function, rational thought, and perception in relation to accelerated heart rates. He described the proportionate crash that follows an adrenaline peak, and the resulting risk to officer safety from reduced mental efficiency.
In simple and understandable terms, Grossman went over the psychology of the act of killing. Taking another human being's life is a highly unnatural act. People must be conditioned through proper training to overcome this natural revulsion, and to react automatically when it becomes necessary. In the aftermath, it is a given that specific physical and mental symptoms will manifest themselves. When they do, the condition is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short. PTSD can result in severe depression, suicide, and destroyed families. Proper officer survival training should include the recognition of PTSD, and how to respond to it. The effects of PTSD can be mitigated by how we respond to others who have been involved in a critical incident.
Colonel Grossman unveiled what he believes to be the largest single threat to modern civilization: violent media and video games. As a soldier, this nemesis is Grossman's new Evil Empire, and he attacks it with a vengeance. Since television was introduced in the 1950s people have been gradually desensitized to violence, and conditioned to choose violence as an acceptable or even admirable method of solving problems. In television and movies, whenever an injustice needs to be righted, or a character becomes bothersome the solution is to blow them away. It's quick, provides instant gratification, and makes the purveyor of the act a hero. Who wants to suffer through a problem for months and work through it rationally, spiritually, or through communication? Yes, I was skeptical. We've all watched those movies and played video games with no conscious effect on our minds, but the statistics presented by Grossman weighed heavily in favor of his position. The operative word here is "conscious." As an expert in Psy-Ops (psychological) warfare, Grossman is well aware of the subliminal influence of the media. When it is pointed out it becomes painfully obvious that we have been effected..."<
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Impact of Gossman's Lecture on Media and Video Game Violence