From boring teenagers to wild animals

Okay, so his last point about escapism needs to be taken under advisment, but this 'bout says it all. You can read the whole article here.

From boring teenagers to wild animals
By YUKON JACK
VIDEO GAMES NOT TO BLAME

For the past week, virgins everywhere have been locked in their basements playing the biggest video game in history, Grand Theft Auto 4.

Soon, you'll be hearing about all the sales figures that it smashed, about how the video game industry is bigger than Hollywood and about how gaming isn't just for nerds anymore.

And now that the moms and dads and social watchdogs have had a chance to check out the content of Grand Theft Auto - the stealing, the shooting, the blowing up, the cop killing, the knife weilding, the bank robbing and, of course, the pimping and prostitution we're hearing Nancy Grace and the likes whining about how video games are responsible for the downfall of society.

"The rotting morals of our youth can be attributed to video games. Video games are to blame."

No they're not. You are to blame. Parents. Uninvolved, dis-interested, selfish, irresponsible parents. We ALL grew up with "bad" pop-culture influences. Maybe it was Cheech and Chong, NWA, Freddy Krueger, Porky's, 2 Live Crue, Black Sabbath, Southpark, Madonna, or The Simpsons.

Whatever it was, whenever it was, it didn't matter if your parents were involved in your life. If your parents were there to keep you grounded and make sure you knew the difference between fantasy and reality, then it was never a problem.

So, moms and dads, before you go pointing your fingers at the makers of video games, have a look at yourself first. 'Cause if you're a good, responsible parent, then your kids are probably equipped to handle a little escapism. I'd rather have my kid shooting up a schoolyard on my Playstation than shooting up a schoolyard. In the meantime ... I'll just shut my big yap.