Can Video Games Save the World?

By Stephen Faris from Time. 

"There's a scene in the video game 24, based on the popular television show, in which the player takes on the role of government agent Jack Bauer and tortures a terrorist. To extract a set of codes, Bauer shoots the man in the gut, slams his head on the table, refuses to call a doctor, and places his pistol against his victim's head.

The violence is exhibit A in a recent report by two Swiss human-rights organizations that examined video games for situations that violated international human-rights laws. "With games, you're playing for hours performing actions which could in real life be criminal," says Frida Castillo, the author of the report "Playing by the Rules." "It's different from sitting on a couch, eating popcorn and watching a movie." In addition to torture, the report documented extra-judicial executions, the shooting of injured soldiers and attacks against civilian targets, including mosques and churches."