VIDEO: Penn Jillette on the supposed negative affects of video games

Matt Hawkins Contributing Writer, Video Games

First up, his views on‪ ‬how football is actually more dangerous to kids than football. To be honest, the point made is a fairly compelling one.

Actually, it’s both Penn and his partner Teller’s thoughts on the subject, but since one is doing all the talking…

It should be noted that Penn has on numerous occasions stated that he is firmly against sports being taught in school. He feels it should be a place for nourishing the mind, not building muscle. Mostly because gym class is where dogma that is based upon class and physicality is pushed, even celebrated, which again he feels has no place in a learning institution. To be honest, I’m totally in agreement (dear God did I ever hate school sports).

But yeah, what you find on the PS3, Xbox 360, or absolutely anything else is so harmless that it isn’t funny. And considering how other pursuits that are legitimately dangerous are not only celebrated, but are often served as a “healthy” alternative, the notion that games are bad for anyone becomes even sillier.

Again, I don’t think football should be banned or anything, but it has seriously and negatively impacted people, yet we all understand the consequences. Because people have tried to their best to understand (and respect) everything that comes with it; there’s a risk to EVERYTHING. Something that video games, which aside from not having such issues, gets demonized nonetheless.

Moving on, here’s just Penn’s thoughts on a subject that is more old news at this point, so I feel somewhat bad for digging up. Yet there’s something that that I have never anyone else state when the debate was hot, and which is still very much applicable today. Remember the game Rapelay?

Makes sense: to believe a game can actually contributes to sexual violence, they must therefore makes rapists sympathetic, because that means all of us is just one video game away from performing such a heinous act. Which is quite the powerfully compelling… and absolutely insane… train of thought.

Two sides of the video game violence debate [Super Punch]

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