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Violent Video Games: A Call to Duty to American Parents This Christmas

 


Who or what are we letting into our homes on these gaming consoles?  Our children are connected to a dangerous world unfiltered and unprotected.

 

 Telefon, a  1977 movie starring Charles Bronson Lee Remick.  In it “A Russian officer is sent to USA to try and stop sleeper agents who will mindlessly attack government entities when they hear certain coded words.”  As I remembered it, the unsuspecting, hypnotically induced agent hears a phrase “after receiving a phone call go out and destroy key American military installations… they were part of an operation called TELEFON that involved recruiting young agents and then brainwashing them into believing that they are Americans. They would assume the identity of an American who died a long time ago and who would be their age now. They would be situated in a city that is near or where a key U.S. military installation is located. They were also programmed to destroy upon receiving the command phrase. They have been fortunate that they have never had to send them on their missions. But they believe that Dalchimsky stole the book that lists all the TELEFON agents and is now sending them out on their suicide missions.” IMDB.com

Believe it or not, there was a time when we were not on the best of terms with the USSR & China.  There were people called KGB agents from Russia, and the USSR wanted our destruction.  Now, we see a former KGB agent as one of our celebrities, bare-chested riding on a horse.  A person we can be a lot more flexible with after the election.  As to China, there was a time when they didn’t subsidize our spending for everything under the sun, and we had an unfortunate incident called the Korean War.

Before the peaceful, carefree world we live in now, the CIA started various experiments that involved mind control, brain-washing, etc. in response to the Chinese & the Soviets.  We stopped in the 70’s & the activities were published in the NY Times. ( Do your own research on it)  Since we are now friendly with China & Russia, I am sure they stopped, but what if rogue segments or people, who do not want to give up on the Cold War, didn’t stop?

This is the odd thought that I came up with after the mass shootings where the gunman turned the gun on himself without shooting it out with authorities.(Dead men tell no tales)  I blame Hollywood & growing up with the threat of nuclear war with the Soviets that brought me to this latest “paranoia”.  Stories about destroying hard drives and then similar attacks in China with knives suggested that the techniques by the unknown forces tested it out on others before the final run.  I blame “Telefon”, “Capricorn One”, “Bourne Identity”, James Bond, the  “Manchurian Candidate” starring Frank Sinatra, Tom Clancy, etc. for these crazy, misguided thoughts.  Also, throw in Aldous Huxley & George Orwell.

But where’s the motive?  If I spelled it all out, then you would stop reading.  Start researching yourself about a massacre in 1996 at a school in Scotland that resulted in private citizens losing their gun ownership rights in the UK… 

I dismissed the above thoughts because it is just too out there.  It is the result of despair over losing the innocent to senselessness.  Trying to figure out why such atrocities occur.  It is the thought of the loss of a sense of security or how things used to be, which may have been just an illusion.

 

How does this relate to video games? These violent video games with military simulations reward the players with kill streaks, weapons, headshots, final kill cams, challenges, contracts, etc.  The idea is to kill the most people possible within 7 to 10 minutes.  The game console is hooked up to the internet, and you can play with people from around the world.  A player from Australia just played 5 days straight.  It is addicting much like casino gambling & slot machines. You can play with a headset, and talk to anyone under the sun.

Many parents played video games when they were young and might not know the advances, or do not have time to consider the pitfalls and dangers.  I believe that reasonable regulation of domestic/foreign corporations that broadcast into your home and occupy your children’s time is a good idea.  There was a time when the government was concerned with subliminal advertising.  They can’t pass a budget, so I doubt they are able to monitor, in a responsible fashion, every game console coming into the home.  Neither can you.

Good government does have a role setting ratings, warnings and educating the public on the dangers of these “games”, especially for military level simulations or “games” that involve shooting at the police.  Government does have a role to monitor domestic & foreign corporations selling & broadcasting in the US.  Can these games, consoles get hacked?  Can nefarious types get to our children or the weakest among us for their evil purposes?  If the answer is “yes”, then there is no limit to what they can expose your children to while they are locked in their room for hours without true supervision.

My generic advice to parents: DO NOT cave in to your child’s wishes & buy any of these games this Christmas, or any time.  Your children will be better behaved, and will do better in school.  You will sleep better at night knowing that you did the right thing, and that you did your job as a parent.  You protected your child.   

Please pray for the innocent victims and their families.



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