The Root of the Problem

Today I was sitting at work, waiting for phone calls from unfortunate souls with computer troubles, when I got a call on my own phone instead. My caller ID said it was my mother. I've been recently trying to do everything short of whoring myself out to get out to Seattle for PAX this year, so I wondered if she had some insight on the situation.

Me: Hello?
Mom: Hey I didn't think you would pick up at work. I just had a quick question.
Me: What's up?
Mom: Maggie and I were wondering if you could bring GTA when you come home this afternoon.
Me: I'm sorry, I can't. It's my roommate's game remember? I don't live with him anymore.
Mom: (disappointed) Oh okay then. Sorry, I'd forgotten.
Me: You're welcome to buy it for me if you like!
Mom: Oh sure, I'll get right on that.

This exchange just amused the heck out of me. Quite a few weeks ago I'd gotten my roommate at that time to lend me GTA 4 for a few days. My mother has always enjoyed watching me play video games, and with memories of my sister's drunken warthog handling still fresh from the previous Christmas, I thought everyone might get a kick out of it.

I'd underestimated what a hit it would be. Myself, I've never been overly fond of the GTA series, but this one from what I'd seen, really seemed different. I'd actually enjoyed the protagonist and wanted to try it out myself. I had no idea that, from drunk pedestrian pancaking to republican space rangers my mom and sister would really enjoy it as well. I'd thought they would get a kick out of it, sure, but I didn't really expect to get a request for me to bring it back.

Thinking about this really makes me laugh after all the Jack Thompson-Hillary Clinton "Video games R bad" crap that surrounds each GTA release- those staunch arguments that games like these are the root of evil in our society, refuge of delinquents and the gateway to a lives of murderous rampages and crime. And yet, as a rational person who, on a good day, has no desire whatsoever to mow pedestrians down on sidewalks with an oil tanker, I have derived hours and hours of great entertainment out of this, with my mother and sister laughing with me.

I think the majority of people in this country need to get a grip and learn to laugh at the ridiculous. Perhaps they may even have to learn how to reinterpret what the "ridiculous" is, but it should really be clear that these games aren't the seed of Satan here.