If violent video games affect people, why dont violent movies get a bad rap? You cant say that video games are aimed at kids, either. That rating system has been in effect almost as long as I've been playing.
Fair point but there are some differences.
Movie is a couple hours long and is viewed passively. You're not actively "playing" it. You're watching characters do things not making them do things. It's different type of experience.
That said a bunch of violent movies probably not the best thing to be subjecting their mind to either.
From my own experiences with kids and videogames I got this....
The vast majority of kids have some way of playing games rated for far above their age. Older siblings or relatives, friends with older siblings or relatives, parents who just don't care, or even play them with the kids, etc. It's not like there's somebody at the door checking ID's.
Becoming desensitized to violence is a real thing. You can't expose a young mind to hundreds of hours of interactive blood, gore, and violence and expect them to remain neutral. They're not machines. Biology and psychology doesn't allow them to go through that experience without effecting them somehow.
A lot of it comes down to moderation and time of exposure, which goes back to parents setting limits both on what games played and for how long. Far too many use it as an electronic babysitter. They know the kid's gonna stay parked staring at the screen for the next 6 hours so they don't have to pay attention and can just do whatever, probably stare at their own screen.
Some of these kids behavior with these things can only be described as addiction. And with parents like mentioned above at minimum allowing if not encouraging or even teaching addictive behavior.
As far as this rape game thing it's disgusting, but again, if murder is the worst and we're OK with interactive simulation of that......
I can guarantee younger kids will get their hands on it, just like they went about beating up hookers and murdering random people on the street playing their friends older brothers GTA.