The Violence in Video Games

Ever since video games have been around, there has always been a controversy about the violence found in mature video games.  From titles like Carmageddon to today's popular Call of Duty franchise, parents have been concerned on whether or not these horrifying visuals affect their child's development.

Studies show that video games, specifically violent ones, are not played for its violent content, but rather played for the sense of accomplishment.  When you think about it, playing these games do encourage problem solving and strategy and violence just happens to be at the center of it.

When the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was established in 1994 in order to categorize the infamous Mortal Kombat series and several more titles, its main focus was to limit the content that children could access.  It works similar to the movie ratings which help parents decide whether a film is appropriate for their child.  But is all of this censorship necessary?  Should these boundaries be decided by companies?  In all fairness, it is true that I would be mentally scarred from watching horror films back when I was four, but would my parents even allow me to experience these measures that companies tried to shield me from?


All I know is that these rating systems are far from being eradicated.  Also, they seem to do more good than harm, although limiting the "freedom of teenager" from refusing him/her from purchasing an "M-Rated" game from the local GameStop.

What do you think?