How Do Violent Video Games Affect American Culture

For many years, major parts of American culture was dark, violent, and quite disturbing. In earlier times, this dark culture was seen mainly in novels and poems. In today’s America, this culture is now much more prevalent being in dark movies, violent video games, and disturbing music. As the years have gone by, this culture has gotten darker and more violent. America’s youth also has easier access to these dark games, movies and music. American culture has become much more darker, and this is taking a significant toll on our country’s youth. Video games can be educational and fun, but they can also prove to be evil. Shooting games such Call of Duty, Battlefield, or Grand Theft Auto have been proved to desensitize players (Drinka). These improve hand-eye coordination such as those used to reload and fire a weapon. Studies recently have shown that brain activity associated with empathy is suppressed while playing these violent games (Drinka). In many of these video games the player becomes the shooter. The player is shooting dehumanized enemies, which is enabling
Happy, sad, excited, there is a music genre for it all. But much like video games, music can have a negative effect on people. Music such as heavy metal is known to romanticize suicide. Artists such Marilyn Manson have written songs specifically to glorify this horrible act that some feel is the only way out of their troubles (Kuntz). For example, Raymond Kuntz testified to the U.S. Senate on the effects of heavy metal music and teenage suicide. Mr. Kuntz teenage son committed suicide while listening to a Marilyn Manson CD titled Antichrist Superstar. The song he was listening to was filled with lyrics praising death. “And cut away our smiles without the threat of death, there's no reason to live at all”, was some of the praising of suicide throughout this song (Kuntz). Something as real and terrifying as death and suicide is should not be