Even though I'm from overseas, where there is some buffering between our ears and the snowballing 2016 presidential election debates, even we're starting to hear about what a spanner in the works Donald Trump is becoming. Initially somewhat of a joke candidate, the billionaire golf-course owner is now trending higher in polls than many of his contemporaries in the race to become the Republican candidate.
That's huge news for fans of reality TV and anarchists who want to see the American political system lampoon itself from within, but everyone else is a little worried. Video game players especially, as Trump has said before that he believes the violence in video games translates into real world violence.
In a tweet sent out just a couple of years ago, Trump stated that "video game violence and glorification must be stopped – it is creating monsters!"
This tweet was released shortly after the Sandy Hook school shootings, so Trump was far from the only one expressing similar sentiment in that aftermath of the tragedy. But that doesn't excuse him from his antiquated view of gaming. This same sentiment was found when discussing video nasties in the '90s, and music halls earlier in the 20th century. It's been proven time (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/longterm-us-study-finds-no-links-between-violent-video-games-and-youth-violence-9851613.html) and again (https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/theres-no-link-between-violent-5440799) that video game violence does not make the players more violent.
If anything it can improve hand to eye coordination, problem solving, pattern recognition and reaction times. In the case of those playing regularly among friends, they can improve social skills too.
The question is, would Trump make such assumptions today, now that he is hoping to become the next U.S. President? If he still believes it (if indeed he firmly believed it in the first place) he probably would, since it's his outspoken style that has curried so much favour with the viewing public.
However if he did declare video games the devil, he would have to face down those that would call him a hypocrite. In 2005 Airborne released Donald Trump's Real Estate Tycoon for Windows PCs. In it players were tasked with running a company under the tutelage of the the business baron. While there is no in-game violence to be found, players can force competitors into bankruptcy, which in Trump's eyes would surely be an aggressive and potentially psychopathic disinterest in other people's well-being.
No?
Perhaps not. Still, if Trump does become president, someone is going to need to convince him that video games are not a bad thing, as nobody wants someone with little knowledge of a topic making legislation that could affect the hobby. Perhaps we could appeal to "The Donald's" business sense?
Evil Geniuses, a DotA 2 team made up of U.S. players, recently beat out Chinese underdog rivals, CDEC Gaming to become the world champions, securing not only millions of dollars for themselves in price money and a place in history as the latest champions of the biggest prize in gaming, but they brought the trophy home to America.
Considering previously the title had been held by a Chinese team, perhaps Trump's statement that America is losing to China in almost every way isn't entirely true.
In-fact gaming, something he's previously decried is one of the few things he would have to admit the U.S. Is very dominant in, across many different genres. Except perhaps League of Legends, but nobody seems capable of shaking the Chinese and Koreans from their thrones there.
While as a non-game player, it seems unlikely that Donald Trump will ever come around and see gaming and its players as a positive part of modern life, it will be interesting to see if he attempts to court the gamer vote nearing the voting period for the Republican candidate.
Do you think his tune will change as the election heats up?
Image source: Gage Skidmore