The correlation between video games and violence is an interesting topic and should be discussed in the public forum more often. The problem is, most of the people who debate the issue and call themselves professionals do not play video games. The people who do are dismissed as being sympathetic to video game players and their ideas are dismissed outright.
When it comes to the claim that video games breed violence, one must realize that the blame must be passed around. It comes down to several parties:
PARENTS. Hey guys, where are you most of the time? Can you tell me what your kids are playing? The story of the game? Any plot points or games within the game? Is that a collective silence I hear? It seems that more and more parental units are disengaging themselves from their children at a time when their presence is most important - the years of adolescence. If parents don't want you to play a certain video game, they should take some amount of control and STOP YOU. Easy as pie.
TEENAGERS. Oh yes. If your parents tell you you can't play a certain game, they have a perfectly good reason to do so. And guess what? They don't have to explain their actions to you. They are raising you and know what is best for you. Yes, some of them really suck, but the majority is looking out for your well-being. Also, kids? If you are seriously thinking of copying the activities in Vice City, think about it a second time. Video games are not realistic portrayals of the real world. Therefore, they should not be used as guides to said world. I am not going out and shouting German phrases at random people while lighting them on fire with my Zippo because I play a lot of .hack//infection on the PS2. I am not shooting people and stealing police cars because of my love for GTA: Vice City. Common sense - please, use it.
TEACHERS/COUNSELORS: If a child is showing signs that he/she is gonna pop a cap into the school principal any time soon, move in like a hawk and nip it in the bud. But you also have to realize not every kid who is quiet and wears dark colors are potential Colombine High shooters. You should encourage open discussion about important issues like this, not hide this under the pretentious belief that you are shielding us. The only thing you are keeping us from is the truth.
MEDIA: You are blowing up the situation and making it worse. These stories involving shootings at school are not just pieces for you to boost ratings. Remember when you report that real people have died and it has affected real people. However, you should keep reporting it and keep the topic in the public forum.
GAME MAKERS: Katamari Dancy. WTF? Honestly, you have done all you can. You put warning labels on and have shrink wrapped games and have even kept people under the age of 18 from buying certain games. Just remember one thing - there is a fine line between a shoot-em-up video game and a video nasty. You gotta walk that line to prevent falling over.
All video games, regardless of content, have a degree of non-reality. Even army games like SOCOM and Wolfenstein [remember that one? XD] are not realistic enough to be believed. Yet a small, rare minority of students are taking video games as the gospel. The same can be said for TV and movies and music. Honestly - if you listen to Good Charlotte or Nine Inch Nails and you take them to their word, you are not using common sense at all.
[deep breath] This post is so TL;DR it should be illegal. Did it make sense to anyone?