Gamer is a new science-fiction action film that features people playing an online game in which participants can control human beings as players.  I’ve not seen it yet, and reviews have been mixed (see Wikipedia article) , but it is interesting to see a film released that predicts a dystopian future based on the current trend of playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).

As one reviewer puts it, the film takes  “a look at the dangers of a media-infested world, of nonstop advertisement and of the future of youth in a world with ever expanding interactive technology” – there are many who worry about the influence of gaming on today’s youth, and this film won’t do anything to quell the fear that the influence of violent games is leading our society down  a dangerous path.

There has been controversy over video games ever since they first appeared, and the popular press and TV loves to play up the idea that the influence of such games leads to greater violence in society.  others, however, believe that evidence is misleading and many of these ideas are myths.

We will be looking at this in more detail on this blog in the future, but would love to hear from you first – what do you think? Are violent games a negative influence on the youth of today?