We talk a lot about educational games here. Education and games often raises questions about violence in games, such as the one Richard Bartle posed recently over at Terra Nova "On the one hand, we're saying that no no no, games don't teach people all those bad things, but on the other hand we're saying that yes yes yes, games do teach people all these good things. Can we really sustain both these positions?" For my thoughts on this matter, I'd refer you to my response last year to the Critical Simulation section of Noah and Pat's First Person. A much more detailed version of this argument appears in my new book on videogame criticism, which should be out in the spring from MIT Press, which already seems too late, since I find myself referring to it in every conversation I have recently.

But there is another question to ask: how violent are public schools, and is it equally contradictory to claim that teaching can take place in those environments? I was walking to the local burrito store this weekend when I passed a USA Today machine. I did a double take when I saw one of the cover headlines: Schools restrict use of Tasers: Districts asking when stun guns are appropriate. Holy crap! I didn't realize we'd decided that stun guns were appropriate in the first place. I even took a picture, just to prove it. The accompanying article details the current uses of tasers in schools, usually to "break up fights." The final verdict: "They key word for Taser use in schools is 'conservative.'"

I know that school violence and behavior problems are on the rise. And increasingly, teachers and school officials have fewer and fewer options for dealing with out of control students. But the situation is reaching stalemate. Take a look at this incident from April, where a school in Florida called the actual police on a 5 year old student. The police actually handcuffed the girl after teachers couldn't calm her down. This situation cuts both ways. On the one hand, clearly the girl was out of control. On the other hand, the police handcuffed a 5 year old! How do we even begin to make sense of this impasse.

No matter the case, with their handcuffs and their tasers, it sure seems like schools are exhibiting and endorsing a lot of the behavior normally criticized in FPS's. No matter your position on the stand-by media effects argument, now where are we concerned about exposing kids to violence... in games or in schools?