Not too many years ago it was commonly perceived that violence portrayed through video games would directly correlate towards encouraging a more violent society. In many ways this attitude was born from a similar debate held over movie classification and the belief that the more adult themes in these (violence, sex, bad language) were degrading social morals. The big difference is that with video games, back then they were largely the preserve of kids. Few adults played video games with any regularity, and as such the violence within games was thought to be directly corrupting youth and spurring them onto violence.

The good news is that with hindsight we can see from today that such sentiments were at best misguided and at worst simply scaremongering. Years of study and effort has gone into determining whether games make society – and especially children – more prone to violent behavior, with the conclusion being a resounding no. It’s a fascinating paradox. While games have blatantly become much more violent and adult themed, all presented with cutting edge graphical detail, worldwide violent crime and behavior has been falling especially in western countries which are the major markets for video games.

While the statistics back this up for western nations, it’s all to easy to be biased as after all many people reading this article will themselves have grown up enjoying the likes of GTA, Call of Duty and Resident Evil. Instead let’s take a look at Japan. The Japanese have one of the lowest rates of violent crime on earth, yet when it comes to violence in video games they have absolutely no restrictions. There aren’t even enforceable age restrictions, merely a suggestion on the very violent games that they might perhaps not be ideal for sensitive eyes.

So even though people around the world are increasingly able to mow down prisoners of war, destroy civilizations and callously massacre defenseless peasants – people are becoming less violent. The conclusion of a series of major studies published over the last couple of years is that if anything violence in video games serves to in fact place these acts into a context. Not in the sense of taming some brooding inner psychopath, but simply that in the act of perpetrating violent acts in a video game the ridiculousness of such behavior somehow becomes more ingrained.

Of course violence in video games has never had any influence on violence in greater society. Much of the downturn in violence can be attributed to a general improvement in economic, social and educational availability many times more than it can be shooting down a few bad guys on a screen. Bear in mind also that many people who grew up with these games continue to play them well into their adult life – the video games industry is now pretty much on parity with Hollywood. It’s just that only now has society finally accepted that playing a violent game is no different to watching a violent movie – and they’ve been around far, far longer.

Metal Gear Solid V:The Phantom Pain

The Phantom Pain is the ninth and the final instalment in the Metal Gear Franchise Created by Hideo Kojima. It instead of focusing on the side characters of the story takes us directly to the events following Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes where “Venom Snake” aka Big Boss is currently in a state of comatose.

About the Game

The story progresses as he wakes up injured, but still not afar from danger as “Quiet”, a trained assassin tries to kill him. After escaping “Quiet” with the help of a bandaged man called Ishmael, Big Boss helps to lead a new group of mercenaries called the “Diamond Dogs” in a hunt to track down those responsible for the destruction of the “MSF” or the Militaires Sans Frontières.

Gameplay

The open world franchise reaches new heights with its final instalment as the experience becomes much more immersive and realistic with this one. The player has the usual array of weapons and gadgets which include binoculars, pistols, knifes and the game, unlike its predecessors, actually urges the player to use stealth mode.

There are a total of 31 missions for you to play, after which the game comes to an end. You can also play in the different short story missions.

Apart from that, the post game missions make it worth the time. Movements are pretty much like you would find in an action game, and you can walk, sprint, crouch and run. It is also the first game in the series that uses the open world gameplay structure. This means that you can explore towns and map just as you want, much on the lines of games like Skyrim. You would be able to travel in both horses and vehicles as you want, and you would love the crawling feature. You can also steal in enemy vehicles for transportation, so it’s going to be a lot more cooler than you think.

Fans of Metal Gear would know that the crawling feature had gone missing in the last installment in Peace Walker.

Controls

You have four different basic controls to choose from. Action A and B help you dive differently, while Shooting types A and B are for shooting in different ways. This makes it a pretty much straightforward game, and you just need to know when it’s time for you to shoot away.

You will also have access to the map, where you can locate the different towns.

Where the game scores highly is in making players learn the value of time management more. You would love Metal Gear Solid 5 if you’ve been a fan of the series, and while some users have complained that the game isn’t as engrossing as some earlier ones, it is definitely up there.

As virtual reality gaming becomes all the rage, First Person Shooter games have been quick to adopt the format and the two are likely bed fellows as FPS gaming is all about reaction time, quick wits, and hand eye coordination, three things virtual reality gaming promotes heavily. A few different devices are launching later this year to enhance virtual reality First Person Shooters and a few are already on the market.
Sony, the developer and designer of the PlayStation, the platform of choice for many different First Person Shooter gamers, have announced their virtual reality system launching in the fall of this year. The PlayStation VR headset for the PlayStation Four is available for pre-order now, however, with a cost of around four hundred dollars. This leap in technology for Sony is sure to affect the PlayStation’s long lineage of First Person Shooter titles from Borderlands to Call of Duty. You can view specs and preorder the PlayStation VR headset at Sony’s website 
If you prefer playing First Person Shooters on your smart phone, a device already on the market may be just what you’re looking for to take your kills to a whole new level. Samsung recently released their Samsung Gear VR for the low cost of only $99.99. The Samsung Gear VR will allow you to headshot zombies, dinosaurs, and enemy soldiers in stunning 360 degree views all from your Samsung phone. This great virtual reality device can be purchased at Samsung’s Website 
Regardless of the platform First Person Shooters have always been a gaming staple and have ultimately determined the staying power of some video game outlets. The new age of virtual reality gaming will be no different and FPS gamers will more than likely be among the first to see their genre of games being released for new virtual reality devices. With a genre of gaming and a platform that fit together so well though, virtual reality may just revolutionize the way we run and gun.

The FPS is one of gaming’s most ubiquitous genres, but this year sees the release of a number of unique titles. From exciting new IPs to HD reboots of long forgotten favorites, 2016 looks to be a stellar year for the first person shooter, and these games – some of them already released – are sure to become classics.Here is a list of the best fps games of 2016.

Overwatch

This multiplayer title from the makers of World of Warcraft has already become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, even knocking League of Legends from its legendary (no pun intended) four-year spot at the top of the South Korean gaming chart.

It’s hard to put into words just what exactly makes Overwatch as enjoyable as it is, but quite simply it’s just really really fun. The game features a huge range of memorable characters, from a professional gamer and her mech to a guardian angel and a super intelligent gorilla, there’s something for everyone, and each character plays in their own unique and carefully balanced way.

Overwatch is a joy to play, and with the developers pledging that all DLC updates will be free to all, the future is definitely bright for this title.

Doom

For gamers of a certain age, Doom may have been the first video game they experienced. It will almost certainly have been the first 3D game they ever laid eyes on, being a pioneer in this field. But now that 3D graphics are more impressive than the original developers ever imagined, is there a place for Doom in 2016? Judging by the response to the Doom reboot, the answer is yes. Doom 2016 was met with positive reviews – praising the game’s polish – and if you were a fan of the original, there’s plenty of ultra-violent hell based adventuring to be had, and it’s now more visceral than ever before.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

There’s been some discussion over whether or not this futuristic stealth game can really be called an FPS. But since it mainly takes place from a first-person viewpoint, and shooting is absolutely a viable gameplay option, there’s no reason why not.
The reason for this controversy is because guns are just one of many possible tools that can be used to complete the game, with players having the option to non-lethally take down enemies, and even avoid them altogether. Rather than quibbling over semantics, we should instead embrace a game that offers gamers the opportunity to play in their own style, where going in all guns blazing is just one of many possible solutions.

SUPERHOT

As well as being one of the most unique looking FPS games ever made, SUPERHOT also features some of the most original gameplay mechanics you’ll ever see. In SUPERHOT, time only moves when you do, giving the player the ability to dodge bullets and perfectly plan their course through a level. This means the title is just as much a puzzle/strategy game as it is an FPS, and couple that with the Daft-Punk-meets-Apple visuals and you’ll find a title you really mustn’t miss out on.