22. The moral panic over video games in the late 20th century
The first video games were simple affairs. Games appeared that were innocent, such as Pac-Man and similar amusements. As the 20th century drew to an end, improvements in technology led to more realistic graphics and storyboards in games, which led to role-playing. The player became a part of the game, assuming a character. Games became more violent in nature. The evolution coincided with a concern (which existed since the 1920s) over the nature of the lyrics, and even the rhythm, of popular music. Parental concerns that music, television, movies, and video games all lauded violence among American youths and were leading to increased crime and the subsequent dissolution of society increased, as did calls for legal action.
Often fueled by excessive and inaccurate media reports, urban legends emerged inexorably linking video games to violent behavior, with gamers inured to violence through constant repetition of acts of fantasy. To many, video games became symbol of the end of civilized society. Acts of violence in video games became a subject for discussion in the media, in political circles, and even argued before the Supreme Court of the United States. Video games became, in the eyes of the so-called Moral Majority and the extreme right, symbolic of the collapse of American moral values and society. Since then the games have become even more realistic in their presentation.