Real issue linked to poor enforcement of age ratings, says gamer
PETALING JAYA: Gamers have defended video games against claims that they promote violent behaviour among youths, saying factors such as emotional stability, home environment and parental supervision play a much greater role.
Software engineer Ahmad Arif Hazman, 26, said young players are impressionable and may imitate what they see on screen if they lack maturity or adult guidance.
“Young people tend to absorb whatever they are exposed to in their entertainment.
“I once tried to mimic a dangerous stunt from a video game when I was much younger,” he said.
Arif said with maturity, most players learn to distinguish virtual actions from real-world consequences.
“It comes with self-awareness.
Whatever happens in a video game stays in the game.
Eventually, that becomes second nature.”
He added that games are often unfairly targeted because they are deeply associated with youth culture.
“Any young person with access to a device will have played video games.
That makes gaming the easiest scapegoat whenever something goes wrong.”
Private sector employee Muhammad Imran Fahmi, 25, acknowledged that violent or realistic games could influence emotionally unstable players, but stressed that such cases are not representative of the wider gaming community.
“Violent games could affect young players who lack emotional control.
They start seeing violence as normal.
“But some games actually reward empathy.
In the Yakuza series, helping others is part of the story.
There are games that teach moral choices.”
He said the real issue is the poor enforcement of age ratings.
“Underage kids can easily buy games meant for adults.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board system exists for a reason, but it is rarely enforced here.”
Account executive Johan, 27, said the impact of gaming largely depends on a person’s emotional environment.
“Games do not necessarily make people violent, but they could cause dependency or addiction.
For many, gaming is an escape as it is fun, immersive and fulfilling in ways real life sometimes is not.
“Games are controlled chaos.
They let you test moral choices or live experiences you never could in reality.
And honestly, games today are far less violent than those from the 1990s, such as Mortal Kombat or Doom.”
Public concern over gaming influence resurfaced after a 14-year-old student was charged with murdering a schoolmate at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) on Oct 14.
Police said the suspect left a handwritten note containing gaming-related phrases, such as “NPC” (non-player character) and “This world is fake”, suggesting an apparent inability to distinguish reality from the virtual world.
In another case in Batu Pahat, Johor police are investigating whether online gaming influenced a nine-year-old boy who allegedly attacked his six-year-old brother over a dispute involving points in Roblox.
The younger child remains in hospital while the parents have been remanded under the Child Act 2001 as investigations continue.
