More recent efforts have attracted a great deal of negative attention because they create virtual environments where violence on a broad and indiscriminate basis is promoted.  Perhaps the most noted is the Grand Theft Auto series, which has a decidedly more adult-oriented play.  

Often, protests about violence in computer games are fairly flat in their critique.  Violence is bad, period, and video games are wrong to promote and glorify violence, often rewarding players with more points, character upgrades, and other goodies for engaging in deliberately violent or excessively violent actions.  Video game designers and players have often poo-pooed such objections, claiming that the violence is virtual and doesn't affect real-world thinking or actions.  Both sides continue to promote studies that further their particular claims.  

Although I haven't watched Moral Kombat yet, I plan to very soon, and it's available free on Hulu .  Moral Kombat claims to be a documentary presenting an unbiased summary of the arguments of both sides of the violent video game issue.  Hopefully it's decent.

What is often lacking in the discussion of video game violence is attention to the moral consequences of the use of violence.  In the real world, violence is sometimes a necessary means to an end.  The nature of the end, and the nature of the violence, often determine not just the morality of the act itself, but impact the perpetrators and victims of the violence in life-altering or life-shaping ways.  In fact, every time we are faced with a moral decision, our choice impacts us.  It might be massive and life changing.  It might be incremental and undetectable in and of itself, while imperceptibly contributing to the choices that we make in the future, all of which add up to a recognizable pattern.  

I enjoyed this essay on the morality of video games.  The author makes the assertion that video games present players with moral choices without often giving much weight or impact to the nature of the choices.  Whether a player decides to act morally or immorally makes no difference in storyline, points/goodies, or any other way.  The author draws on specific video games to demonstrate how morality is or is not played out through the choices given to players.  It's a good reminder that there are a lot of thoughtful people out there who are seeking to understand and integrate morality into their lives - even in the video games they play.   

Whether you're a video game player yourself, or have children who are making their way into the world of video game entertainment, it would seem prudent to do some careful thinking about what you play or allow them to play, and why.  Consider also that there could be good teaching opportunities in and through these games - something that many parents may not have the interest or patience to utilize, but that could be a valuable way of working with your child to develop decision-making skills and criteria, rather than arbitrarily dictating when they should or should not do.