A World of Cheese, For your Pleasure

As you said, there are many different types of things in the world (e.g., "Catcher in the Rye") that can turn a deranged person towards murder. I think the issue with violence in movies, TV, video games, etc., is that is desensitizes people - mostly kids - to the concept of physical violence. In the hands of a well-adjusted person, they know where to draw the line. But unfortunately, the world is not made up entirely of "well-adjusted" people. Children are becoming more and more alienated from their parents who are not plugged into what is going on in their kid's life. Kids are also bullied and frustrated to the point where they don't know of any other outlet for their anger, fear, frustration and hurt than through acts of violence and vengeance, since that's all they know. Banning such games won't solve the problem, but I do have to ask why it's even necessary that they exist in the first place. Why do people (including adults) find games like this entertaining or amusing? What need is this fulfilling for them? My take is that they have feelings of violence themselves and need a socially and legally accepted way of acting them out. The problem occurs when those behaviours transcend from the relative safety of the computer screen and into real life. The solution isn't necessarily to ban the games, but to teach people how to better deal with their feelings that they are inclined to express through violence.

Does this mean that before video games and movies, people who read the occult or people with violent imaginations remained more sensitized to violence? I am not entirely sure of this. Also, there are some that are simply predisposed to violence, or who have, for whatever reason (desensitization, privilege/power, whatever) very little empathy for actual people, or what they consider as actual people.

Maybe it's just me, but a person who never ever had feelings of aggression creeps me out a little. They are like those people who never, ever get angry. I would go to extremes to prevent them from getting angry for fear that they couldn't handle it. (For some reason, the Butterfly Effect comes to mind.) It seems normal that normal people would have some feelings of aggression. It also seems reasonable to be able to separate fiction from reality and be able to play a game that simulated death. I think it is similar to S&M games that some couples play. Or porn, for that matter. It's simulated.

Restricting these games would be raising society's standards in the eyes of many, but I think it would be lowering standards. It's like cancelling a class trip because Johnny likes to act up. It would be better to watch Johnny closely, or not let him go so as not to deny the experience to the entire class.