Shooting Games

Arcade shooting games have been around for some time and in different variations. Some are military in nature, others simulate a hunting experience, and some exude sheer senseless violence. While there are just as many variations of shooting games for home game consoles as there are in the arcades, there is one main difference between the two.

In the case of arcade shooting games, a pretend gun with laser sensors is used to realistically simulate firing a weapon. There are some shooting games available for home use that also use the fake gun for gameplay, but most console shooting games feature a close-up camera view in a first person format that players control with a standard game controller.

The console shooting games are referred to as first person shooting games and are widely popular among younger men. A debate has risen in recent years whether this type of simulated violence is breeding realistic violent tendencies in teenaged boys. There are several titles that are called into question in this debate, but specifics are not important.

What is important is that young people who play first person shooting games should be mature enough to distinguish the difference between reality and fantasy. Secondly, it is important for parents to understand the difference between passively observing acts of violence and actively participating in them. If your teenaged son is spending more time playing first person shooting games than socializing with friends in constructive activities, you should talk to him.

Understand that for a socially responsible adult to play a shooting game, they may simply be releasing stress and testing their skills. Contrarily, a socially confused young person may be mixing fantasy with reality and begin demonstrating violence in day to day behavior. Experts caution that parents should pay close attention to any young person who becomes overly involved with first person shooting games and monitor their activities closely.