The Valve platform is launching a series of virtual reality games, and with both the hardware (the Vive) and distribution (Steam), the company is looking to take gaming to the next level.

“Right now we’re building three VR games.” Gabe Newell, Valve founder

These new games will have a great deal of influence over the users. I wanted to share and review some of the current VR games to give some insight on the direction gaming should be heading in for the future. As I reviewed different virtual reality games, I found a YouTuber, SayItsBradley that does demos of video games in VR.

If you watch the video, you will see a typical young, white male, playing a VR game with a headset, and a handheld remote. When you look closer, the YouTuber will senselessly kill people within the game for personal enjoyment. That raised a huge red flag to me.

Recently, I had a discussion with someone on the definition of a psychopath. Google defines it as, ‘a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.’

That being said, it is my personally view that video game producers, as well as film producers, and television producers, have a responsibility to create compelling, non-violent games. If Valve and other VR game producers want to make a positive change in the world, they cannot be creating violent video games that distort minds of young people.

I believe that video games producers aim to encourage violence in connection to fill private and public prisons. Additionally, I find that the states and federal government allows these games in the mainstream to push young people into the military.

Violent games could easily be banned, but they remain in the mainstream for a reason. Some of those reasons is to distract the public from the real issues, such as wages, healthcare, education and investigative journalism.

If you enjoy violent gaming during your downtime, and can separate fact from fiction, then I still suggest you spend your time with loved ones creating memories, but at least you can distinguish the differences between violence in real life and within fiction.

The Washington Post reported:

‘For several weeks, Dylann Roof slept on the floor here. He played video games. According to the Meeks, he showed off his new Glock .45-caliber handgun, drank heavily and retreated to his car to listen to opera. And sometimes he confided in his childhood friend Joey, who wasn’t the type to ask questions.’

When I read that excerpt, it tells me that Dylann Roof, the recent shooter in South Carolina, was heavily influenced by games, and was almost homeless.

The state of South Carolina could increase taxes to build housing for low income people. They could also use that tax money to help with people suffering form a mental illness. Or they could vote to decrease taxes, and have people work it out on their own. Which is obviously not working overall. The state could take additional responsibility for the poor and ill to ensure these incidents never happen in the future. Video game producers can take additional responsibility, and curb the amount of senseless killing in the games they produce.

But, the real problem is that the gaming companies have not made any real progress decreasing violence in video games. In addition, the states are also not making any real progress taking care of low income residents, creating more crime overall.

I don’t blame the video game producers directly for the violence in our society, but I do find they could be working on games that bridge cultural gaps, instead of diving them with violence.

I do blame each state for not increasing taxes, and creating sustainable communities for the people.

I blame the politicians for not raising taxes.

I blame the greed within people for not supporting higher taxes, and I envy the states and countries around the world that are smart enough tax their residents in an educated manner.

In conclusion, I hope that residents in states such as South Carolina read this, and start to see the importance of helping their fellow men and women. I hope that the Valve producers read this and see the level of influence they have overall, and use it for good instead of evil.