video games and the naturalization of violence

The criminal attack in New Zealand that left 49 dead and 48 wounded in two mosques, woke up an old badysis of the influence that video games can have in real life.

Indeed, one of the detainees, the Australian Brenton Tarrant, author of the mbadacre, He broadcast all his actions on Facebook Live and many who watched the scenes quickly noticed their games with the online game Fortnite, where the goal is to kill.

The attacker has practically imitated the sequences of this game, but this time not in front of a screen if not in reality, and gunshots shot in cold blood. What can generate access and use of these contents in people?

Various professionals from Mendoza spoke with The Andes and they thought about it.

"It's morbid to see something like this except when you realize that you're in front of a movie, for example. The call for attention here and regarding video games is how violence can be naturalized and how one is anesthetized by the suffering of the other "explains Nancy Caballero, a psychologist specializing in children and adolescents.

"Several years ago, this happens more and more naturally. One has the impression that the limit between the real and the fictitious has been lost "he adds.

Alejandro Castro Santander, a psychologist specializing in education, said in the same way: "In this case of New Zealand, there is clearly a delusional disorder of this boy, a fundamental pathology. Violent video games reinforce violent behavior, not that there is learning in these platforms ":

"There is an alert for the parents of boys who use this type of games because they realize that they do not sleep and do not even eat because the game forces them to keep going. they stop killing the character. This feeds the addiction and the ideal would be to control the time and exposure to these contents "adds Castro Santander.

The Fortnite video game.

On top of that, there are more negative aspects to emphasize about the consumption of these audiovisual materials. "In video games, it's fun to kill one, or if you get more points, it would be terrible to lose the limit between the real and the playful, when these situations occur more and more naturally" says the psychologist.

"There is more visibility of violent deaths, there is blood everywhere, and when I look at it and I do not scare Sensitivity has been lost We are going to numb ourselves, "insists Caballero, wondering," Why do not those who have other abilities and do not kill others win in these games? A mature person must have the ability to think and differentiate one thing from the other, the child does not always have this discernment. "

As a piece of advice, the psychopedagogue summarizes: "You have to control the impulses, not to control the addictions, you need a careful and intelligent presence of the parents and they say" my son sees drawings ", but in these drawings every two minutes we cut the head of another ":

The need to expose it on Facebook

The Australian who perpetrated the mbadacre recorded everything, after 17 minutes of live broadcast on Facebook Live, a behavior which, for specialists, has a clear objective.

"It was obvious that I had to show the world that it was mentioned and even recognized by other terrorists. Another very common aspect is to record it, then come back to see it and recreate that moment of pleasure. This is a consequence of having integrated social networks in our lives. If I do not do a photo or film, I feel I did not do it, " said Jorge Chaves, a lawyer specializing in computer law.

The beginning of the recording, when the accused was in the car. | AP

"Recording these facts is not new, the gang war in the United States has already done, it now takes another dimension because of the number of victims. It was impossible to control by Facebook, no image is controlled, let alone live video", adds the lawyer.

Regarding the attack and the similarities with the Fortnite video game, he thought that "This is not an imitation, it's a terrorist act, That these games may have some influence on violent behavior, I accept it, but they are not decisive for going and committing something like that ":, agreed Chaves.