Each week Adam Frucci takes a closer look at the latest gadget buzz in his column, Shift.

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From the moment it was announced, Rockstar Games' upcoming Bully attracted a huge backlash, despite the fact that almost nothing was known about it. Knowing only that Rockstar is the publisher of the infamous Grand Theft Auto series and that this game featured children fighting in a school setting, various politicians and nonprofit groups created a huge controversy around the game, trying to get it banned before anyone had actually seen it. Why such a strong reaction to a violent video game? With movies like Reservoir Dogs and books like American Psycho accepted as meaningful works of art in today's cultural landscape, what is it about video games that make them seem like exceptions to the First Amendment?

Video games are as legitimate an art form as paintings, novels, or films. The interactive nature of games allows them to give people new perspectives, new ways of seeing situations by participating in them. Are all video games great pieces of art? Of course not, but for every MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch on PS2, there are 50 trashy romance novels at your supermarket checkout line. For every art form there are shining examples of what makes art great sitting on top of a pile of less-than-inspiring entries into the canon.

Do violent video games promote violence more than violent books or movies? Of course not. In fact, I would go so far to say that they actually lessen the likelihood of violence. A violent video game allows someone to play out their fantasies in a harmless way, to let out aggression and frustration without actually hurting anybody. It also allows people to see the consequences of their actions, and while it's true those consequences aren't always realistic, no one thinks they have extra lives in real life. If someone is in a bad mood and wants to let off some steam, they can play some Grand Theft Auto, go on a rampage, and feel better when they turn the console off.

The same reasons that people are saying Bully will be a negative influence on kids are the reasons it will end up being positive. The game is not about killing your fellow classmates; rather, it's about making your way through the complex and hostile social world of a prep school. Is there fighting? Yes. But there's no blood, and you can't attack teachers or girls without getting in enough trouble to keep you from doing it. Rather, you'll focus on dealing with cliques, girls, and mean teachers. Such a game will allow kids who feel picked on or ostracized to live out their fantasies in a totally safe environment, becoming king of the school with whatever means necessary. Are kids so impressionable that they think they'll be able to use the same methods to affect their real lives? Give your kids some credit.

Popular art such as movies, music, and video games offer escapism. People love to get into fantastical stories such as Star Wars because it allows them to get away from their regular lives for a couple of hours. Video games just offer a different form of escapism, allowing you to become a different person for an hour or two. While it's easy to assume that stupid children won't be able to differentiate between the fantasy of video games and reality, especially when the games are so realistic, one has to understand that today's kids have grown up with games and understand how they relate to reality.

The differences between real life and games are obvious to everyone, but most of all to kids who have played video games as recreation for their entire lives. It's easy for older people who have no experience with games to be intimidated and scared of them simply because it's a medium they don't understand. But they have nothing to be afraid of. Rather, they should embrace video games as a teaching tool, talking to kids about the topics and values that are confronted. After all, no matter how hard people try to keep games out of the hands of kids, they will always find their way there. Young people are a lot savvier than people give them credit for. — A.F.