Non Violent Video Games vs Violent Video Games

Call of Duty and the Numbing of Minds

Zickgraf's views on Call of Duty and other violent video games are rooted in the criticism that these games desensitize people to the real-world effects of violence and war. This was not actually his original criticism, however. Initially, he was part of a group that criticized these games for their potential to incite real-world violence. He even expressed concerns about the direct marketing of guns and knives to gamers, citing his nephew's suspension from school for bringing a gun to school as an example. He questioned whether games like Call of Duty were a gateway to real-world violence (Jacobin, 2022). He looked at his nephew and believed they were.

But since then, Zickgraf's views have changed. He now admits that there is not necessarily any really evident association between violent video games and real-world violence (Jacobin, 2022). He cites the fact that although first-person shooter games are still popular, gun homicides have in general decreased. He also notes that his nephew stopped using guns, which suggests that the boy’s interest in guns was more influenced by family culture than by video games.

Nonetheless, Zickgraf uses this change in his views to make his current arguments more apparent. He acknowledges his previous beliefs and explains why he no longer holds them. That lends credibility to his current stance. The point he makes now is that he believes that the real danger of games is that they cause a kind of mental numbness, which leads to gaming addiction, and which can negatively impact a person’s quality of life. Addiction is dependence on something; it numbs the person to reality as it forces the person to engage more and more with the thing that is addicting. In this case it is gaming. Nothing else ends up mattering.

Based on the arguments Zickgraf makes in this document, it is not likely that he would view non-violent games like Stardew Valley or Mario Kart more favorably. He does not seem to have an issue with video games per se, but rather with the potential for addiction and the negative impacts that can have on players' lives. It does not make a difference whether the game is violent or non-violent—it is the gaming experience itself that is the problem.