Sacred Symbols+, Episode II: Violence (Patreon)

Can video games influence real-world violence? It's a controversial question that stokes anger, resentment, and fear from "both sides." But even as countries like the United States become safer than they've ever been, they still fall prey to heinous acts of mass violence that shake us at our very cores, and make us take a second glimpse at our assumptions on a whole host of issues. While we had originally intended to avoid this minefield in the wake of the shootings in Texas and Ohio, we instead thought we'd confront it head-on. Are we absorbing too much violence (and sexuality) as a society? Are we becoming desensitized to the pernicious realities of being exposed to endless amounts of blood, gore, murder, and death? Or are we seeking a convenient scapegoat that stops us from thinking deeper about the problems that plague us? It couldn't possibly hurt to chat for a while, and try to figure things out for ourselves.