Washington Times Culture Columnist Marybeth Hicks’ latest column calls on Americans to reject violent videogames.

“Tuesday was one of those days when the news can confuse us,” the columnist writes, imparting her take on the release date of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 falling on the same day that a memorial service for the victims of the Fort Hood tragedy aired on television.

MW2 is poised to become the largest media launch in entertainment history, to which Hicks says, “We ought not be surprised, but we ought to be concerned.” She calls the title, “Another immersive first-person game offering players the chance to vicariously participate in acts of violence for the sole purpose of ... entertainment.”

Depictions of “senseless” violence can be found in many forms of American media, writes Hicks, including television and movies, but “worst of all” in videogames, which enable “a realistic experience of ‘the thrill of the kill.’”

She finishes:

It's not maturity that's needed to play these games. It's maturity that rejects them as barbaric and harmful to the psyche of anyone who would play them.

According to Hicks’ bio, she began her career as a writer of special correspondence and talking points for President Reagan. In addition to her columnist duties she is a motivational speaker and the author of several books, including Bringing Up Geeks: How to Protect Your Kid’s Childhood in a Grow-Up-Too-Fast World.

GP: Oops, Washington Times, not Washington Post. Thanks Jack!

This news is aggregated from the top sources for video game news on the internet. Read the Original Article here