I wonder if the same applies to games that feature swords and shields instead of the one of the first most awesome semi automatic pistols out there...
I suppose that if people feel inclined to do so, a readily available kitchen knife would be sufficient for emulating a sword fight (that is, if they have a similarly-minded opponent) or murdering in cold blood. Firearms, of course, are generally harder to come by, so generally relatively few people own them yet they have the power to affect things at range and potentially do more harm, unlike someone wielding a knife (on that subject, there was a recent MythBusters episode in which they experimented with gun vs. knife scenarios, it was kind of interesting).
(I will admit, I am quite fond of the idea of owning a Colt M1911. Not because of games, but the fact you're essentially holding history in your hands. The thing has been around for a hundred years. That's bloody ****ing awesome)
The nearest experience I have to using a gun was at an airshow when I was about 9 or 10. There was some sort of an army careers tent there with a small mock shooting range. The gun was a light or infrared gun that looked like a replica (it had a scope but I'm not sure what gun it was an emulation of), and it seemed heavy and solid enough to be real to me. The targets consisted of colored lights on a circular board. At first I was put off by the idea, it didn't feel right to me. But somehow I came around to wanting to have a go, maybe because I saw my friend try it out. There was a long queue there, mostly consisting of young kids/adolescents. Somehow I impressed the soldier who was supervising enough to tell me that he should have me enlisted, obviously he was joking about that (I think). I smiled and thought "No thank you". I can't say I came away from it feeling any more attached to guns than I was before. It was fun while it lasted, but it did feel a bit unsettling just holding and aiming it.
EDIT: The whole thing was definitely geared towards future recruitment. I suppose it's something I find unsettling, especially as there were so many children there.
Before that experience I owned a light gun for the computer and a few water guns, but apart from play-fighting with them nothing really came of it in terms of developing an interest in weapons.
Other edit...
You hear a 12-year-old trash talking on Call of Duty multiplayer, you report him -- not because he called you a "fagmobile," but because he's too young to be playing that game.
...is that something we ought to be doing? What do you folks think
Having been gaming since I was about 4, I've seen how digital entertainment has advanced and I can understand the effect games could have (but not necessarily - since other factors influence behavior too) on a young person's mind, especially with regards to violent content. I agree with the idea of more stringent adherence of ESRB ratings and such, especially on the part of parents and games retailers (the former more so).
Personally I don't think I can see see myself reporting, or berating someone else's child for ignoring age ratings though.
