However, perhaps the most profound way in which video games are helpful to us is in their cathartic properties. Flying directly in the face of everything the media wants us to think about how games affect our psyches, is the notion that by exorcising our personal demons through gameplay, we can dispose of our negative emotions and frustrations in safe and healthy ways. In essence, we can think of playing a violent video game as opening a pressure valve, releasing pent-up stress and ill will by taking it all out on our opponents. This way, we won't carry our darker urges around with us, ready to escape at inopportune times, leading to violence and giving the media yet another example to scapegoat our favorite pastime.

But don't take my word for it. In a recent interview with The Times of India, Trinley Dorje, the current Karmapa Lama, the spiritual leader of one of the largest sects of Tibetan Buddhism, has confirmed that he plays violent video games. "So, for me sometimes it can be a relief, a kind of decompression to just play some video games. If I'm having some negative thoughts or negative feelings, video games are one way in which I can release that energy in the context of the illusion of the game. I feel better afterwards. The aggression that comes out in the video game satiates whatever desire I might have to express that feeling. For me, that's very skilful because when I do that I don't have to go and hit anyone over the head."

And there you have it. A man of peace, dedicated to teaching the world how to overcome their own natures and strive for unity with all mankind, still bears occasional negativity, which he uses video games (among other practices) to expunge from his person. Rather than being "murder simulators" that empower otherwise innocent children into going on killing sprees, video games can help us dispose of those antagonistic thoughts and emotions safely. So how is it, then, that so many young killers have put the responsibility of their actions at the feet of games? The key lies in Dorje's use of the phrase "in the context of the illusion of the game". He is able to make the distinction between actual reality and the environment of the game. If we were to be charitable, we might say that the criminals who blame their actions on video games were unable to tell the difference themselves.

It is not for us to have to teach maladjusted minds the proper way to perceive reality, and it certainly isn't the fault of the games themselves simply for existing. But it's clear that as games grow increasingly more sophisticated -- both in their presentation and their systems' complexity -- this is an argument that will arise again and again. More people in positions of authority need to come forward to explain that video games are tools, and as such are no more accountable for the actions of the people who use them than any other tool is. You don't blame the hammer for the alcoholism of the carpenter, nor the drill for the abuse of the craftsman. Our responsibility is to use our tools to the benefit of all, and not blame our personal shortcomings or foibles on them. Doing so only does disservice to the intentions of the game designers, who wanted merely to bring something enjoyable to the world.