“I’ve fired a real MP-5 submachine gun before, but the MP-5 in “Black” is somehow more exciting – more real,” said an IGN.com reviewer of “Black.” The TV spots for “Black,” another addition to the “gun-porn” genre, simply show a beautiful room being destroyed by errant gunfire, with bullets tearing through priceless paintings, ricocheting through a Steinway grand piano, and shattering a crystal chandelier. Playing “Black” is the game enthusiast’s equivalent of a night with Jessica Alba. Each cycle of the action kicks back through the controller as bullets spray your target. Debris flies around as stray rounds explode tile, chip wood, and ricochet with blue sparks off metal in a primeval orgy of high definition and Dolby Surround.

Whether a video game makes someone a more violent person is a matter of contention. Professor of psychology at Stanford University Craig Anderson has concluded through research that “even a brief exposure to violent video games can temporarily increase aggressive behavior in all types of participants,” but the degree to which violence has been increased per person is inherently subjective in all studies.

“It’s not a black or white question,” said Assistant Professor of Psychology Chris Henry. “But what happens to the emphatic difference between real life and simulation when you build emotional detachment along with technical skill?”

Unlike the hyper-real “Black,” many games like “Ghost Recon” and “Rainbow Six” strive for as accurate an experience as possible, forcing the player to work with a team and use real-life tactics against highly advanced artificial intelligence. The experience of playing such games is a sort of training that even the Army has recognized as beneficial. “America’s Army” is a best selling series of computer games produced and released by Army recruiters that forces a player to work online with teammates to achieve mission objectives with highly accurate tactics and weapons. The military and FBI for years have used “duck hunt”-style guns and life-sized screens to train recruits, but games like “America’s Army” provide the same sort of tactical training to the masses.

Should adolescent men still struggling to cope with the effects of testosterone have such training? “Young men who are habitually aggressive may be especially vulnerable to the aggression-enhancing effects of repeated exposure to violent games,” said professor of psychology Karen Dill to the APA.

The Center for Disease Control reported 11,624 homicide deaths by firearms in 2004; that number likely goes up if shooters have a better grasp of tactics. However, the rise of the violent “first-person shooter”-style game has coincided with a dramatic decrease in youth violence over the past decade.

“I’m not really concerned; adolescents in our society could use the experience,” said junior Tristan Winkler. Americans teach their children marksmanship, karate, archery, fencing, and occasionally hunting; tactical combat skills might not be much of a stretch.

“What about basic training? They can learn another way,” said junior Latoya Thomas.