Assassination Generation by Dave Grossman

Author:Dave Grossman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science / Violence In Society, Social Science / Popular Culture, Social Science / Media Studies, Social Science / Criminology, Psychology / Developmental / Adolescent, Psychology / Mental Health
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2016-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

ISIS, Terrorism, and Violent Video Games

Around the world, terrorist attacks happen almost every day—and terrorists are learning from our video games. In November 2015, coordinated attacks by ISIS left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded in Paris.24 A suspect in these attacks was a known video game aficionado,25 and his own attorney described him as “the perfect example of the Grand Theft Auto generation who believe they are living in a video game.”26 Sixteen days after the Orlando massacre, one of the largest terrorist attacks to date occurred at the airport in Istanbul. Forty-four people were killed and more than 230 were injured. Many people noted the similarities between the attack and the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, in which you murder dozens of innocent civilians at—where else?—a crowded airport.27

In some cases, terrorist groups even create their own video games to promote their activities. A study of these games found that their interactive nature offers a more engaged perspective than other media, making players active participants in their murderous plots.28

Our cultural obsession with violent video games also helps explain why it’s so easy for ISIS to recruit Americans. Most people who see a video of ISIS operatives cutting a person’s head off feel nauseated, horrified, and enraged. But some watch the same video and think, “How do I get a piece of this?” Through video games, we taught these people to derive reward and pleasure from simulated human death and suffering. When they see real human death and suffering, we should not be surprised that they want to participate. And they are participating. At least 250 Americans have traveled or attempted to travel abroad to join ISIS, and an additional 900 active investigations against sympathizers are currently running in all fifty states.29

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