Almost a month ago, Joe was relaxing in the somewhat cramped dining area of his kitchen the back door flew open. He scrambled out of his chair and whirled around to face his little brother Paul grasping his forehead with both hands. He howled in a pitiful voice, tears streamed down his face as blood oozed from between his pudgy little fingers.

Joe frantically closed the door, retrieved ice for his head from the freezer, sat Paul down, and proceeded to question him. Soon, he discovered that his brother and his friend had been in the back yard engaged in a reenactment of the video game Dragon. Paul’s friend had been armed with a wooden baseball bat, and Paul had been playing with a plastic survival knife. Paul’s friend had swung his bat and hit Paul in the head and then ran off.

This incident of childhood play leading to violence had a cause, the video games Paul and his friend played. Although some people may not acknowledge it, there is a large amount of violence in activities which on the surface seem amusing and harmless such as video games.

However, this is not saying that there should be a ban or restriction on the use and sale of video games. Many people often play them for fun relaxation. But, despite the fact that most people who play these games are not going to go out and beat somebody up because of the game, there are those people who just might try out reenacting a video game–people like Joe’s little brother and his friend.

The point is, those with underdeveloped and impressionable minds should be taught not to act out dangerous scenes from video games or any kind of movie, play, television show or books. They need to be taught the difference between fantasy and reality. Parents who see their children exhibiting extremely violent behavior after being exposed to violence should explain to their children that in real life when people are blown up, they don’t reappear for another turn.

This story was originally published in the Shield on April 19, 1991.