Video games have been cited for causing violence, and the US Army has even tried using them to recruit soldiers, but this is the first case in recent memory of blaming them for post traumatic stress disorder. Apparently a retired Marine living in Florida disappeared shortly after playing the game Call of Duty 4. His father blames the game.

While some will scoff instantly at such a story, one has to consider it’s been a long time coming. As video games get closer and closer to recreating the experience of the anarchy of war, eventually it was going to get to be too much for someone. Films such as Saving Private Ryan have famously been cited in the past for being too much for some veterans to experience. Why should a video game version be any different?

In fact, video games could be even more traumatic as they put you really right back into the position of the battlefield. You aren’t watching a depiction, but actually reliving it. Is it any surprise that some soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan might find this too much to handle? Imagine if video games had been as realistic as they are now back in the post-Vietnam days?

So what are game developers to do? One argument is to abandon “ripped from the headlines” games entirely. Another is to be careful with the intensity of their depictions. A third suggestion is for the Veterans Health Administration to better counsel returning soldiers on the potential of media to set off flashbacks. While our prayers are with this particular soldier and his family, our concerns are with the future.

Related posts:

1. Marine lost after playing Call of Duty 4 is found dead
2. Call of Duty: World At War shows off Co-Op gameplay
3. Call of Duty 4 gets Game of the Year edition for April
4. Guitar Hero to become Rock Band clone, and Call of Duty goes MMO
5. Call Me Ishtar: Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

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