Two things have caught my attention relating to this subject this week.

First, on collective about the connection between games and killing sprees made in the upcoming film Elephant, which has just won awards at Cannes.

Secondly, on gamegirladvance noting that violence in video games is a declining trend (many of the comments have differing views on the reasons and implications of this)

I’m not sure that I’ve entirely made up my mind on the whole subject one way or another.Wandering around killing “marauding alien zombie Nazis” is violent..yes? But it’s part of a much, much wider picture.

Violence in entertainment (games, film, tv programming) is not the most universal exposure to violence in modern culture. Every time we turn on the news there are reports of more bombings, more attacks and more murders – and they are not always portrayed as the atrocious loss of human life that they are. And it doesn’t matter – because as long as you come out on top, you’re keeping the peace – which isn’t violent at all….