Not a big fan of it. I don’t see any benefit of my kids taking part in violent games.

I don’t have any problems with a person’s right of self defense. However, I expect my kids to develop their self-defense in their heads far before getting physical. Maybe some of it comes from my experience as an educator. I use mental jujitsu daily as I work to keep my hormonallly-challenged and insecure middle schoolers on the right path.

Middle Schoolers are emotionally charged and quicker to violent thoughts, talk, and actions than adults are on the whole. The kids that think of violence and talk of violence are the ones that are far likely to be getting into physical fights in order to “defend” themselves. This “defense” far too often, is just a physical way to defend their honor, rather than their personal safety.

Typically, some dumbass has posted false and insulting claims about them on Snapchat or other social media. I find that students habituated to “playing violent” or “talking violent” far often skip the mental part of self-defense that includes asking oneself, “Is the stuff this person posted, or said, true? If so, I should rethink my choices, if not, they are a fraud and I’ll respond with “whatever...” and move on with my life.

Students that come to school with the expectation that violence is an absolute last resort are able to find peaceable resolutions to their problems and are happier and more successful. That’s how I hope to raise my kids.