In a society loosely run by technology and media, the idea of a completely immersive virtual world is not that distant of an idea. USA Today stated,“ Ninety-seven percent of young respondents play video games. That's 99% of boys and 94% of girls, with little difference in the percentages among various racial and ethnic groups and incomes. In fact, 7% of those surveyed said they didn't have a computer at home, but did have a game console, such as Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's Xbox or Nintendo's Wii.” Most households contain at least one form of a video game platform. Whether it is, a Wii, Playstation, XBox or even an IPhone the presence of a platform is found in most American homes.
Each device has a stereotypical game that goes along with it. When most think of Wiis, they correlate it with the idea of fitness and moms across America using it. When you think of IPhones you associate it with Flappy Bird and Candy Crush. All of these games seem less than harmful. If you were to ask a child/pre-teen their thoughts on these games, they would more than likely call it “sissy stuff” or something similar. When users begin playing in the big leagues, using platforms such as Playstation, Xbox etc, the games become more intensive and potentially more violent. The Entertainment Software Rating Board has created six categories for every game to fall beneath, yet youth that are not necessarily prepared for what they see in the game, continue to get their hands on copies of the games everyday.
As stated earlier, technology is continuing to grow, the idea of an immersive virtual reality is closer than many think. With the arrival of this technology comes the arrival of a completely realistic violent world. We are currently unable to keep children away from games that are rated for an age older than them, how are we going to control the use of immersive virtual video games (IVET)? The creation of these games will only desensitize its users and negatively affect the children who use the product.
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