Classical Geek theatre: Violence not product of games; monkey tells profound truth

Last week, I borrowed a friend's Playstation 2 for a while. It was my first real taste of "Grand Theft Auto 3," a very powerful game indeed.

At first, things were innocent. GTA3 is just a game, so it didn't matter how mean-spirited I was. Steal a jalopy from an old lady and mow down thirty pedestrians? Sure, why not. Beat up prostitutes for some scratch? Pretty funny stuff! Of course, being only a video game, it did not matter how careful my driving was.

Sadly, a college student cannot merely play video games. Like everyone else, I have other responsibilities. These responsibilities include going to class and feeding the monkeys at the Muncie Zoo.

It was a gray, drippy Muncie-morning when I noticed things had changed. I pulled out of the driveway really fast. Too fast, faster than what is considered safe. I peeled out of the alley, too. Then, driving down McKinley Avenue, I saw a UPD officer. The thought occurred to me "Better wait for the cop to leave before you steal another car."

What?! Where the heck did that thought come from? I don't really steal cars; I just play a game where one steals cars. Right?

I regained composure and focused on the task at hand: getting to the Muncie Zoo to feed the monkeys. The poor little guys needed those bananas; they needed them badly. Yes, feed the monkeys. I mean, run over pedestrians.

I almost did.

Playing that game did the strangest thing to me. Usually in my thinking, I can distinguish from what is in the context of a game and what is real life. I don't think I could actually run over people in real life, because my common sense intervenes. But the fact that I have the initial thought of turning a pedestrian into body bag meat, the fact that my common sense has become necessary, is unsettling at best.

I am not a violent person. Video games have not made me a violent person. Video games don't make other people violent, either.

When school shootings were all the rage, I laughed at the people who finger-pointed at video games. After all, running around and shooting pixels can't make you kill someone. But maybe, just maybe, they can delude someone - if they don't know any better.

Is that possible? Could someone really be so flogged in the noggin that they forget that sort of violent behavior is only acceptable in video games and the monkey cage? Do people like that really exist?

When I got to the Muncie Zoo, I decided to consult with the monkeys. I sat down with my favorite gibbon, Franklin. I asked him "Are there people in the world who don't know the difference between a video game and real life?"

He said "Eep! Eep! Ahhch!" I replied, "Sure, you can play Grand Theft Auto 3" and I gave him the controller.

After playing the game for a few hours, Franklin slaughtered all the other gibbons in the cage. Then I got to play some more. I thought that was a pretty profound moment.