A small Connecticut town made the headlines not long ago after announcing their ‘Violent Video Game Return Program’. This came about a month after the violent Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings, which left 28 people dead. The program itself involved parents having strict talks with their children about violent games, and if they agreed that they weren’t comfortable owning these ‘violent’ games they could be exchanged for a $25 gift voucher. These vouchers were donated by a member of the Greater Southington Chamber of Commerce as “a token of appreciation for their action of responsible citizenship”. These games were then snapped in half, tossed in a dumpster and were going to be burned. 

A spokesman for the group held a press conference to say they have now cancelled the plan to burn these games, saying “our mission was to create a strong awareness in Southington for parents and families and citizens and children. And we accomplished that.” The program was deemed unnecessary and created “an unnecessary amount of logistical details”. While the games aren’t being burned the families who had this serious talk with their children are still being awarded the $25 gift card for their efforts. Their main goal was to increase awareness about violent games and the effect they have on people, and the media coverage surrounding it alone has been more than enough to make their efforts worthwhile.

It’s always a tragic time when people are needlessly killed, especially under circumstances such as these and VGU wishes once again to extend our condolences to the families and friends affected by this tragedy. But were video games really to blame? It’s not the first time they have come under fire for an incident such as this, and I’m willing to bet it won’t be the last. What do you think? Is cancelling it a smart plan, or should we really burn games that are deemed ‘violent’? Let us know your opinions in the comments below!