Jon Steinberg, 18, takes careful aim and shoots. Red spray fills the air, and the target falls dead, as Steinberg laughs lightly and says, "There's the blood."
Gore, carnage and destruction do not faze the North Central High School senior when he encounters them in a video game.
"You don't feel like you're doing anything violent," says Steinberg, playing "Counter-Strike" one Friday at Net Heads in Broad Ripple. "You feel like you're playing a game. It's just sport."
Some scientific experts fear his comments miss the mark. Citing a body of psychological research, they argue that exposure to screen violence, be it on television or in a video game, primes a viewer to act aggressively.
No one understands exactly what processes in the brain lead to this observed increase in aggression. Now researchers, including a team at the Indiana University School of Medicine, want to solve that puzzle.
Their efforts come as game makers release a new set of titles this holiday season, from "Halo 2" to "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."
"San Andreas" invites players to roam a mythical ( =D ) Western state, engaging in gang warfare, carjacking vehicles, killing innocent pedestrians and picking up prostitutes. Like previous Grand Theft Auto games, "San Andreas" does not shy away from strong language or drug use.
"Halo 2" takes players to a science fiction Earth under attack by the alien Covenant. The game arms players with a variety of lethal weaponry, including a sword that can halve one's foes.
While both games are rated "mature" for 17-plus audiences, that does not prevent younger kids from clamoring to play these or other popular video games with violent components.
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