Sex and violence in video games is a very popular topic these days, so why discuss it? Well the majority of the population has the same damn opinion, which is, "there is too much sex and violence in video games". If you share this point of view, I suggest you keep reading, because I think there isn't enough sex and violence in video games, in fact the more the better!

First off, I understand that there are little kids in the world that don't need to see sex and violence, that's the last thing they need while growing up - they will discover those topics on their own, with out the help of society, but sex and violence in video games is not targeted at children or young adults. Games with explicit content were never intended for young people in the first place. Those titles were developed with a certain market in mind and somehow they were delivered to the wrong audience. It's not the developer's fault or even the publisher's, it is irresponsible parents and shop keepers - game stores - who are to blame for the early loss of innocence.

I'm not saying that all parents and shop keepers are irresponsible, but a vast majority must be in order for such a huge uproar against the game industry to occur. What these heathens don't understand is proper parenting and ethical sales. For example, don't sell cigarettes to minors, very similar to don't sell Grand Theft Auto to minors. It's not that hard, both products can drastically effect a person. If an uneducated individual uses either the cigarette or the violent video game, there is going to be repercussions. In the case of the cigarette, it will slowly kill you. The video game may also kill you - a source of inspiration to go steal a car and get shot. That notion doesn't apply to just video games, it goes for any form of media. Any uneducated hooligan can be a cop killer or robber. Do you think that the mobsters of the early 1900's were inspired by the radio stories of cops and robbers? There is a very slim chance, in fact if they had the patience to sit down for hours on end, they most likely wouldn't be out getting in trouble.

Some people blame the realism of video games for blurring the lines of reality, but it all boils down to this: if a kid can't distinguish between the media and reality, then shame on the parents. If the parents actually spent a little time with their kids, educating them and/ or researching what they were purchasing for their child, we would all be better off. Unfortunately bad parenting is more common than sex and violence, both in the real and video game worlds. Undereducated, irresponsible parents and their delinquent children are a recipe for disaster - add conventional media and you have baked bomb ready to be served.

To those against sex and violence in video games, how can video games be bad, when they get a lot of their inspiration from the real world? If those loud protesters, redirected their energy to matters such as neighbour hood watch, or donating their time to help educate the underprivileged we would all be better off. Consider the game Grand Theft Auto for instance, the developers got their exaggerated ideas from the streets of California; sex with hookers, stealing cars, killing cops, robbing stores...etc. Stealing cars in GTA is a common occurrence in California, as this news headline would suggest: "Car Theft Season is upon California" (www.theautochannel.com ). People fail to see the plane and simple truth, and by trying to hide the truth we would only be lying to ourselves.

Yet the uneducated keep promoting the same argument over and over; stop making sex and violence in video games. This is such an insane idea, it would be like telling someone to stop breathing. Like any industry, companies make and sell what people are demanding, if there is shelf space for a game, then there is a demand for it. If there is a demand for it then there are people that want the game - simple. If A = B, and B = C, then A = C. The industry knows that they develop content that may offend some voluntary participants, but that's why they adopted a rating system a long time ago. However, human stupidity will almost always deactivate any system of protection and it is those few irresponsible, loud, end users that spoil the fun for everyone.

Secondly, games are meant to be fun, and if someone considers a lot of sex and violence to be fun, then let them have their fun. Most games have a reasonable amount of both in them, but if a story is better told with more explicit content, then by all means go for it. Story doesn't necessarily drive a game, and there are times when the game has no plot and it's just sex and/ or violence, nothing else. Consider the game "Deer Hunter", and its killing of innocent animals - there is no story, just an environment and the tools needed for a suggested action to take place - pure violence. Just like in real life there is always a choice. I am personally against the killing of animals, however, I think the game is an ingenious idea, if it can deter, or minimize the urges that those people have to kill then I highly encourage the use of video games. That's all video games do, they provide us with an outlet to satisfy our strange urges - whatever they might be. That is entertainment in its simplest form, a series of stimuli that satisfy human urges, mental or physical.

Perhaps that is why sex in video games is skyrocketing, video games are the perfect platform for sex. Consider the challenges we are faced with daily: air-brushed hotties on the covers of magazines, movies, porn... you name it, you can't hide from the constant bombardment of sexy bitches everywhere. Realistically they do exist, but in such small quantities, that you would have better luck winning the lottery, then hooking up with a centrefold. So is it really so wrong to want to act on those urges? The very urges that the marketing wants us to think we will experience if we buy their lame ass product. We all have those urges, they're natural bodily functions. Video games can offer an outlet for these urges - whatever form they might take. People can live out there wildest, sexiest fantasies in the comfort of their own home. One can only dream of the day when we have sexy robots. Sex in video games is a natural progression, people want things they can control, to a certain degree, and with conventional media, you are constantly teased with what you can't have - in a video game, you can do whatever you want. The selection is still limited, but time will change that. The public can expect to see some wild titles available for purchase in the not too distant future. The game industry will and is constantly evolving, fresh talent is introduced on a regular basis and niche markets are being tested for additional revenue sources.

Sex isn't the only thing that sells, violence does a pretty good job too and it sells for the same reasons - to satisfy urges. There are days when I feel like sitting back with a game controller in hand then going on a wild rampage blowing up a few armoured vehicles, kicking ass, robbing wealthy citizens of their precious gold and many other, too terrible to mention, acts of violence. Where can I do this without facing life in prison? No where, except for video games. These types of fantasies would have been unheard of 100 years ago, but times change, we are constantly drilled in the head with images of violence, and after watching two hours of Vin Diesel kicking ass, who doesn't want to follow suit? Really, with all the tough looking, karate chopping beef-cakes in movies and on TV I have to say there are times when I feel left out or inadequate. So I do what most scrawny kids do, buy a game and do exactly what I just saw on the telly.

Regardless of whether or not I can bench 50 pounds, or sword fight, I want to kick ass! I also want to make the rules, a new body, a new life, I want to do what I can only dream of in the real world. This is the very premise of video games.

It's not to say that the young people don't have urges too, but there must be a certain restriction to what they can have access to. Most kids are so caught up with the joys of everyday life, and the innocence of not knowing the guilty pleasures in life that they wont discover sex and violence until much later. There are a few kids that will have a natural tendency to explore, nature vs. nurture, and will ultimately share what they find. There is no stopping the wild adventurers, and if they can outsmart the system to get what they need, then the more power to them. To some this sounds like a lost cause, a battle that cannot be won and their solution to that, bitch, bitch, bitch. However, if those individuals taught their children the fundamental lesson's in life and did a good job parenting then no matter what a child encounters they will be able to make their own decisions - and if their decision is to indulge in killing cops in GTA, then perhaps the parents missed something or the kids are exploring a healthy virtual curiosity.

With that said, there is an endless stream of virtual curiosities that can be satisfied, and there will never be a shortage of ideas ~ just look at the real world. With the ideas of the real world, and the infiniteness of the computer, the boundaries of sex and violence will be pushed further than ever before. It is a constant cycle of people wanting more, and companies giving more - there is no stopping the increase of sex and violence in video games. Even if there was a powerful opposition, ideas always surface underground and eventually grow to become pop culture. Sex and violence in video games is inevitable, because it is a fundamental part of who we are as humans - everyone thrives off of violence and sex as entertainment... We just need more of it.