It seems that whenever a new media is created, there are two groups of people: those who are excited because of it, and those who are wary of it. Dr. Frederic Wertham and Attorney Jack Thompson belong to the latter group of people. Although they were fighting against two different types of media and lived in different time periods, they were still arguing that a new form of media would destroy the next generation of children. Are they right? Are newer forms of media going to destroy our youth? Or is there no connection whatsoever? First, let's look back to the 1950's, when the Senate performed an investigation into the effects of comic books on juvenile delinquency. During this era, the majority of children read comic books, and many of the soldiers who had returned from the war read them as well, because comics had been a primary source of entertainment for the soldiers while they were overseas. Except over the past few years, more and more people who didn't read comic books claimed that they were harmful to children's development and that they should not be read by anyone due to their poorly produced, offensive content. Among these people was Dr. Frederic Wertham. Dr. Wertham was very vocal about his beliefs. He conducted a study to find a link between juvenile delinquency and comic books, although he was criticized by many because he only studied delinquents, without including any other children in his studies. Strangely, to these complaints he responded that the children who did not become juvenile delinquents would be worse off. Still, he used his research as evidence in his book, Seduction of the Innocent, and was called upon to testify in the hearings in the Senate. However, the only result of the hearings was the creation of a rating system that would indicate the age appropriateness of all comic books. Yet, the comic book hearings of 1954 are not the only instance in which there has been controversy over a new form of media. Indeed, there is a much more recent and ongoing debate as to the effects of video games on children. Attorney Jack Thompson, as well as many other parents, politicians, and judges from around North America have argued that video games will lead people to violence and crime. Murders, robberies, and more have been said to be influenced by video games, and the debates are still raging. In fact, a law in California stating that it would be illegal to sell all violent video games to minors was, as of this February, ruled unconstitutional. There have been many other laws proposed, including several in Canada, although not all of these laws were passed.
That said, the important thing is not the controversy. It isn't the law. It doesn't really matter what Hillary Clinton or Jack Thompson or anyone else says. What matters, is the truth, and the truth is this: whenever a new form of media comes out, people will oppose it. It can be human nature to fear what you do not understand, which can lead some people to argue about the dangers of something new. But there is another truth as well: the controversy is almost always an overreaction. 50 years later, the idea of superheroes ruining a generation because it would give them unrealistic ideas about the way the world works seems ridiculous. My guess is, 50 years from now the idea of video games ruining our generation will seem ridiculous, and people will be worried instead about some other, new form of media. Concerning video games on a factual level- The British Medical Journal, The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health, and the Journal of Adolescent Health have all published studies that find no conclusive relationship between video game playing and actual violent activity. Concerning the issue of the effects of new media on children-let us look back at Dr. Frederic Wertham's study. He found that some delinquents read comic books, but of course he did! With every new generation, there will be violent people. There will be delinquents. And chances are those people will experience the new media of that generation. But there will also be good people who will experience that media as well. My point is this-people are people; there will always be people who are violent or immoral or evil, but there will also many more good people. Video games, television, comic books, and any future media will not change that, because ultimately, while fashions, technologies, and cultures change, people will not.

It seems that whenever a new media is created, there are two groups of people: those who are excited because of it, and those who are wary of it. Dr. Frederic Wertham and Attorney Jack Thompson belong to the latter group of people. Although they were fighting against two different types of media and lived in different time periods, they were still arguing that a new form of media would destroy the next generation of children. Are they right? Are newer forms of media going to destroy our youth? Or is there no connection whatsoever? First, let's look back to the 1950's, when the Senate performed an investigation into the effects of comic books on juvenile delinquency. During this era, the majority of children read comic books, and many of the soldiers who had returned from the war read them as well, because comics had been a primary source of entertainment for the soldiers while they were overseas. Except over the past few years, more and more people who didn't read comic books claimed that they were harmful to children's development and that they should not be read by anyone due to their poorly produced, offensive content. Among these people was Dr. Frederic Wertham. Dr. Wertham was very vocal about his beliefs. He conducted a study to find a link between juvenile delinquency and comic books, although he was criticized by many because he only studied delinquents, without including any other children in his studies. Strangely, to these complaints he responded that the children who did not become juvenile delinquents would be worse off. Still, he used his research as evidence in his book, Seduction of the Innocent, and was called upon to testify in the hearings in the Senate. However, the only result of the hearings was the creation of a rating system that would indicate the age appropriateness of all comic books. Yet, the comic book hearings of 1954 are not the only instance in which there has been controversy over a new form of media. Indeed, there is a much more recent and ongoing debate as to the effects of video games on children. Attorney Jack Thompson, as well as many other parents, politicians, and judges from around North America have argued that video games will lead people to violence and crime. Murders, robberies, and more have been said to be influenced by video games, and the debates are still raging. In fact, a law in California stating that it would be illegal to sell all violent video games to minors was, as of this February, ruled unconstitutional. There have been many other laws proposed, including several in Canada, although not all of these laws were passed. That said, the important thing is not the controversy. It isn't the law. It doesn't really matter what Hillary Clinton or Jack Thompson or anyone else says. What matters, is the truth, and the truth is this: whenever a new form of media comes out, people will oppose it. It can be human nature to fear what you do not understand, which can lead some people to argue about the dangers of something new. But there is another truth as well: the controversy is almost always an overreaction. 50 years later, the idea of superheroes ruining a generation because it would give them unrealistic ideas about the way the world works seems ridiculous. My guess is, 50 years from now the idea of video games ruining our generation will seem ridiculous, and people will be worried instead about some other, new form of media. Concerning video games on a factual level- The British Medical Journal, The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health, and the Journal of Adolescent Health have all published studies that find no conclusive relationship between video game playing and actual violent activity. Concerning the issue of the effects of new media on children-let us look back at Dr. Frederic Wertham's study. He found that some delinquents read comic books, but of course he did! With every new generation, there will be violent people. There will be delinquents. And chances are those people will experience the new media of that generation. But there will also be good people who will experience that media as well. My point is this-people are people; there will always be people who are violent or immoral or evil, but there will also many more good people. Video games, television, comic books, and any future media will not change that, because ultimately, while fashions, technologies, and cultures change, people will not.

What is it, exactly, that makes a profile icon? Some have ones that are humorous, some icons are just because they look cool, some have icons that relate to their favorite book/game/movie/tv show/etc. But today I'd like to talk about my icon. As you can see, mine is the fairly standard image of Snake (circa MGS4) holding a gun. But it was that image (okay, maybe not exactly, but an image like it) that made me a gamer. See, I was a casual gamer with a PS2 and ended up buying the last issue of the old Playstation Magazine (it was the first issue of the magazine I bought). And in that magazine it had a small preview of Metal Gear Solid 4, for the PS3. It showed an image of Snake in a similar stance to the one in my icon, and it was that image that would later pique my interest in the game. So 1 year passed, and I started playing my brand new PS3. After having that for several months and becoming more of a gamer, I ended up flipping the pages of that old magazine. I'd heard some things about MGS4, and, upon seeing that image, I decided I wanted the game. After reading the early review in the new PS magazine, it was set-I would get MGS4 on the first day it came out. So, on June 12, 2008, I went down to EB Games, picked up the copy of the game, paid, and left. That day I began what would be one of the most amazing gaming experiences of my life. Until that point, I almost never finished games, although the experience was so amazing and compelling that I finished it as soon as possible. But I still wanted more. I got the PSP MGS (before I finished MGS4), as well as the Essentials Collection (after I finished MGS4). I played through every single MGS game and at the end of it, I had become a gamer. I now wanted to finish every game I played. I loved the stories in games. I thought about graphics, sound, frame rates, resolutions, and all the other stuff that makes up a game. This game lead me to play/finish some of my favourite games ever, such as Mass Effect, all the other RPGs I've ever played, Assassin's Creed, and more. So why do I have that image as my icon for this, a game-related website? Because I would never be a member of a game-related site without it.