Call of Duty teaches kids morality, claims military veteran

“The criticisms of games such as Call Of Duty are quite unfounded.”

Tarryn van der BylSeptember 7, 2012

While the ongoing debate about violence, video games, and The Children rages on FOX News, one ex-SAS operative has opined that, quite contrary to sensationalist tabloid thinking on the subject, violent games teach kids lessons about morality.

“There have always been people that claim video games are bad for you. They’re probably the same people that were worried when films first became ‘talkies’ and then got themselves worried about the switch to colour cinema from black and white,” he told The Sun.

“It’s the same argument but for a different format and a new generation. The criticisms of games such as Call Of Duty are quite unfounded. After all, it’s the same as the games we used to play as kids. In the 50s, 60s, and 70s children would play ‘toy soldiers’ – running across building sites, carrying wooden ‘machine guns’ and shooting everybody, which isn’t that different from Call Of Duty, really.

“Call Of Duty, just like those old games, caters for that same basic human emotion, just in a different format.”

He also added, in addition to developing skills of hand-eye coordination, video games present “better role models than most in normal life”.

“Because, ultimately, the heroes in these games do the right thing,” he said. “These games are teaching lessons of morality through a well-known medium — violence.”

Thought-provoking stuff, although there are probably better ways to teach morality than violence. You know, like simply explaining right and wrong instead of putting your 8-year old in front of the TV.