The mind is not virtual.
Controversy about morality in technologically generated
fantasy worlds revives the question about what is “real.” This may seem like a
useless academic exercise, until we consider the increasing demand for games in
which “gamers” can partake of morally taboo/reprehensible behaviours, without
physical consequences. The attitude is that these are “just games” and there is
no impact in “the real world.”
Many people say that these games serve as an outlet for aggressive feelings,
without bringing harm to others. However, even if “no one is hurt,” is
fantasy-violence – generated by one’s own hand through a console – really okay?
Even if someone does not go out and purchase a prostitute or murder someone
after playing video games, what kind of an inner culture/mental landscape do we
nurture? Does the momentary exaltation during the game morph into courtesy
toward other people or a desire to build more harmonious relations with others?
Our modern culture often forgets what our ancestors understood: the mind is not
virtual. Our mental activities have consequences in daily life; thoughts are the
seeds of visible reality. In traditional aboriginal societies, people would
offer gifts to those of whom they had thought ill, seeking forgiveness. Modern
psychology coined the term “self-fulfilling prophecy” to describe the phenomenon
of our thoughts or beliefs manifesting themselves in our lives.
Rape, torture, pedophilia, brutality – will these be tolerable in fantasy games,
where “no one gets hurt”? Or will we start to recognize that even virtually
playing with these realities desensitizes and dehumanizes us? We are not
improved as human beings by the consumption of such mental fuel, nor is humanity
ennobled. Let us bravely assert that morality indeed stretches into the
“virtual” – mentally real – world.
