I recently came across an interesting video posted on YouTube by the Idea Channel, which asks the question: “Is Buying Call of Duty a Moral Choice?”.
In light of the tragic gun violence news that has been hitting media of late, and the various civil wars that have been raging across the globe for decades, this might just be a very pertinent question for gamers these days.
At what point should your moral compass begin to dictate the types of gaming content you consume, and the types of companies you are supporting through your game purchase?
Idea Channel host Mike Rugnetta present the argument best, so if you are interested in the debate, spare 5 minutes to watch the video below.
If you play video games, you’ve shot a gun. And those guns are REALISTIC. So real that many are actually LICENSED by IRL arms dealers. Which means that when you buy a video game, you’re also putting money in the pockets of those gun manufacturers. That’s fine and dandy if you’re a fan of guns, but if you are someone who considers themselves anti-gun, this creates quite the moral quandary.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and on the MyGaming forum.
More gaming violence news
EA dropping gun brand names in games
14-year-old gamer slashes friend’s throat over GoW
Pierce Brosnan sees game violence as “terrifying”
BioShock Infinite: in defence of graphic violence
Video games directly accused as root of gun violence
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He lost me right at the emotive “If you play video games, you’ve shot a gun” intro. The rest of the video was a fine example of a specious argument. His whole argument revolves around the moral dilemma related to ‘supporting the firearms industry’ by buying games which license guns. What I find interesting is that he doesn’t lay out the argument which is that, ultimately, because we buy games which license gun designs, we allow gunmakers to make guns, or provide them impetus to design and license new ones.
On account of this (decidedly) tenuous (and unproven) link, we should be morally concerned about buying games which depict guns and (potentially, not necessarily) pay license fees to firearms companies. The more I consider this argument, the more ridiculous it is. It’s actually the kind of fallacious style of argument the gun-free crowd loves.
Urgh.
While we’re on the topic, why is he so hung up on guns? Have the preachy types finally decided that videogame violence is morally passe and not drawing enough of an outraged viewership on youtube?
*rolls eyes*
*walks away*