Do High Schoolers Use Violent Role-Playing Games Affect Teenagers?

Teens all over America are being introduced to violent role-playing games. These harmful activities are teaching kids that death is something to celebrate. They’re also showing them ways to get around the law, or simply break it. Despite the enjoyable experience, these games aren’t what America’s high schoolers should be participating in. An immediate example of teens learning what they shouldn’t is discovered when a student reflected on a risky situation they experienced when playing a physical role-playing game. Entitled Killer, this game has attracted many participants, all of them high schoolers. Divided into teams and armed with water guns, each player and his/her teammates are assigned a target by the “judge” of the game. This particular student had two targets to take out, and both were at the airport. “‘I had to get special permission from the judge for the squirt fish, because I didn’t want to take my gun anywhere near an El Al counter.’” (Martin). Now, students are already thinking of ways to bring weapons into an airport secretly. While squirt fish and water pistols may not be “real weapons”, the thought process of
“Over the years, students there have developed a seventeen-point rule book, a map of the safe zones around the school, [and] an entry fee” (Martin). These students have been so creative, and are making and agreeing on important decisions to help Killer along. Students are also strategizing and thinking in ways that they don’t usually get to, as well as working together in teams. “Initially, each team of up to four students is given only the identities of its immediate prey. All other players are anonymous, so that in the days leading up to the game the school becomes a souk of intelligence -gathering and disinformation.” (Martin). Perhaps there really are benefits to these role playing activities that people tend to