Another shop that is closed for business -Game Station in Altrincham. Computer game shops are among the many victims of the decline in High Street shopping. They suffer from a double whammy: the worst double-dip recession since computers were invented plus people buying online rather than in person.
Do violent computer games make people violent in real life? It's an often posed question and our household is divided. One teenager says of course they do while the other argues that copy cat behaviour does not stem from pc games. It is of course a complex issue. Some people are going to be more predisposed to acting in certain ways, and their upbringing and peers will have an effect too.
Apart from the odd family game on the Wii and a Farmville flirtation a few years ago, I don't play them myself. I must admit that I am impressed by the graphics in some games though. Grainger Games’ Far Cry 3 was released recently and the Jules Verne-like tropical island and its inhabitants looked amazingly lifelike to me. From the Richard E Grant-like host to the flora and fauna, I did like the look of it. I might have been inclined to play or delve further were it not for the gore and violence that spoilt it for me (but I am not the target audience) and this just in the trailer. It is rated 18 for good reason.
Do Far Cry and their ilk keep people on their screens and off the streets, or do they lead to violence on the streets? What's your view on computer games?... Education, escapism and entertainment are surely good things?
