I’m not a gun guy in the real world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a flower child or anything; I’ve owned a few firearms in the past.
But I have, shall we say a temper. I figured it was best that I not have instant access to a lethal weapon, and I sold the last of my guns back around 2000.
Also, I’m frankly not very fond of the real-world notion of war. Spending my tax bucks on the destruction of civillian property and the murdering of folks who pose no legitimate threat to me is a tad lame in my opinion.
But I’ll sure pick up the controller and blast the whiz out of all manner of lifelike digital targets. First person shooters are without a doubt, far and away my favorite games to play.
Why is that, given my opinions of real life war and violence?
Maybe I feel like I’m ‘getting away with something. Or maybe I’m just a friggin’ hypocrite.
Either way.
I don’t see my love for first person shooters fading away any time soon. There’s just something about blowing stuff up that appeals to that primal part of my psyche.
The key is, of course, distinguishing entertainment, however tasteless, from reality.
It’s worth noting that I really don’t even care for ultra-violent movies. I find them childish and annoying for the most part.
Video game violence is just different. No real people are being harmed, and as lifelike as the imagery is, it’s not as offensive as live actors and graphic special effects.
Do I let my 8 year old nephew play Project Snow Blind or Rainbow Six 3 when he visits? Hell no.
There is an appropriate measure for all things, and I don’t think little kids need to be playing games with such brutal tactics and concepts.
But clearly it’s ok for neo-hippie, anti-war, work from home hypocrites like me to fire up the xbox and lay massive waste to my enemies with every form of firepower at my disposal. 
