4/23/08 – “Video Shootout” by Noreen Herzfeld

Herzfeld, Noreen. “Video Shootout.” The Christian Century, May 4, 2004. 22-23. Available at: http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3049.

This 2004 article by Noreen Herzfeld argues that violent first person shooters (FPS) are linked to real world aggression, as exemplified in school shootings. The article begins with the case of a fifteen year old boy killing shooting tow of his classmates. Herzfeld emphasizes that the National Institute of on Media and the Family reported “96 percent” of boys grades four through twelve said they played video games on a regular basis. The article goes on to describe the increasingly violent and particularly bloody nature of the first person shooter from the early 80’s to today. The article cites a Japanese study which found a direct link between video game playing and aggressive thoughts.

Herzfeld then focuses her attention on the “training module” status of the FPS shooter. America’s Army’ a game published by the U.S military, is used as a recruiting tool, and is available for download from the army’s website. The author quotes Dr. David Grossman in concluding that that “Video games are strong on quick reaction to threats and weak on reasoned response” and that it emphasizes a killing spirit.

The author then imposes a philosophical argument into the real harm done by these games. Herzfeld notes that from a “Kantian of utilitarian ethical perspective, one has neither used nor hurt another person.”

The article concludes with a final point on the world of video games being a lonely place, citing the tendency for video games to emphaisiz3 ones need to survive on their own, and deemphasize collaboration.

Reaction:

While this article brings up various sound statistical reports, the authors is unable to convincingly attach them to her argument, and while much of the philosophical content of the article is intriguing and insightful for the most part this article is mostly speculation. The article also seems out of date technologically for its time, having been published as recently as 2004. The grasp of online multiplayer FPS environments is lacking, as it fails to comment on the highly tactical aspects of some online shooter environments. I agree with the attitude that FPS emphasizes a killing spirit and the “shoot first ask questions later” agenda. However, I don’t think this establishes a link with violent action in the real world, or Herzfelds argument that it desensitizes one to real violence.