There are a lot of things to get worked up about in our society, but as I get older and (hopefully) wiser, I learn that dark humor isn't one of them. Dark humor and satirization are a necessity for a society to keep itself balanced. They allow us to laugh at things that aren't supposed to be funny and butcher sacred cows before they become so full of themselves that they start exerting real power and control over the people. 

You've seen this done well and in various ways. "South Park" probably sits on the throne as the king of lampooning culture on your television screen. The Babylon Bee does it to a pretty great extent online. But in the video game space, no one makes fun of the shallowness, absurdity, and out-of-control consumerism that is modern America quite like the "Grand Theft Auto" series. 

I've covered my love of the series before and lamented what appeared to be Rockstar Studios' rumored wokification, but a new trailer dropped, and the hype has, for the moment, overcome doubts. To be clear, this is likely the most anticipated game of all time, and the drama around the release of this trailer you're about to see below included leaks, threats, and FBI involvement. 

The hope is that Rockstar does what it's always done, and that's satirize, lambast, and poke fun at everyone and everything no matter what group you belong to or who you are. It'd be hard for Rockstar to make a GTA game that doesn't do this because it just wouldn't be GTA, but I digress.

I'm more concerned about what I saw from conservatives after the drop of this trailer, and it's the pearl-clutching that occurred from conservative networks. Newsmax, for instance, had a segment on "Frontline" where "experts" proceeded to naysay the game and warn about the effects of video game playing on the human psyche, especially that of children. 

How bad is the all-time best-selling "Grand Theft Auto" video game for kids? Carl debates its effects with a panel of experts on #FRONTLINE on NEWSMAX. #GTA6 #GTA5 pic.twitter.com/MePOg9aYmg

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) December 6, 2023

To be very clear, "Grand Theft Auto" was never a game for children, and to that end, something needs to be made very clear.

Video games are a medium, and not one specifically geared towards children. In fact, I would venture to say that most of the video games that come out nowadays aren't for children. While companies like Nintendo churn out family-friendly entertainment, studios such as Rockstar, Larian, and many independent creators aren't crafting games with children in mind. 

Video games are the next great storyteller, allowing players to play through incredible narratives and stories that would not have been experienced the same if they were just a movie or book. Even "Grand Theft Auto 5," beneath all the insane things you could do, had a very compelling story about loyalty, betrayal, and your ghosts coming back to haunt you. 

"But what about the children?" 

You wouldn't take your child to an R-rated movie or allow them to stream shows or movies that have nudity, sexual situations, hard violence, blood, gore, etc. You would only allow them to consume age-appropriate material. Moreover, you wouldn't park your child in front of a television screen all day and night until the child becomes addicted to the screen. That's common sense. 

There are some video games out there that, in moderation, are great for kids. They can be used as teaching tools and allow the child's imagination to do extraordinary things. But where I would allow my young child to sit and play "Minecraft" for an hour or two, I wouldn't dream of allowing him to pick up a controller to play a GTA title and expose him to adult-themed material and jokes and satire he wouldn't understand. That also is common sense. 

We go against common sense when we suddenly abandon what we know about moderation because the medium simply changed. 

It also goes against common sense to demand that anything that wouldn't be approved of by the pearl-clutchers of our society should be boycotted and protested against or, in some extreme cases, banned. The brutal truth is that they disapprove of too many things just based on shallow perception alone, and I don't think that the work of moral busybodies is very good for society overall. They too often miss the point of a thing. 

Conservatives do themselves no favors by joining in with that chorus. While it's great to call out societal rot where we see it, I'm not sure a video game meant for adults that uses dark humor at every turn, is meant to be a commentary on the absurdity of modern America, and openly puts you in the shoes of the bad guy, qualifies as societal rot any more than the "Godfather" or "South Park" qualifies as such. We know that being a nuisance to society and committing crimes is bad, and people don't need their intelligence insulted by calling that out. 

Leave the intelligence-insulting to the left. 

Video games are not a bad thing in and of themselves. Like most things, moderation of consumption is key to a healthy life for both children and adults. If you find a game that you don't like... then don't play it. If you disagree with some of its concepts, fine. You'll find that many people agree with you yet still play the game because of the context the concept is in. 

I enjoy the GTA series because I find it hilarious and compelling, and I like the freedom it gives you to wreak havoc in a digital world where no one is actually getting hurt. That's not everyone's cup of tea, and that's fine. But I can safely say that my interactions with the game haven't caused me to become a bad person, and the millions of people who have played the game can say the same. 

In truth, if my kid managed to pick up a controller and play a GTA title behind my back for a couple of hours, I'd be far less concerned about the damage it would do than if my son was in a room with a university professor or her brainwashed students for the same amount of time. 

Conservatives need to come to an understanding about video games. That gaming system in your home isn't a child's toy; it's a system through which various kinds of games can be experienced. Not all of these experiences are meant for children. Many of them are meant purely for adults and contain themes, imagery, and concepts that only adults should consume...just like television. 

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