Leaving enemies in bloody shambles, the chainsaw bayonet and other grisly features make Gears of War one of the most violent video game franchises available on the Xbox 360 console. Gears of War 2, released Friday, has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and aims to continue being a top seller through the holiday season. The game’s Entertainment Software Rating Board rating is “mature” for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language — the type of content that has been controversial in the past.Relatives of victims in the Columbine High School massacre sought damages from many computer game makers in 2001, claiming their violent products led to the killings. Although dismissed, the debate over violent video games’ effect on society is still prevalent.Meghan Sanders, mass communication professor, co-authored and presented a study on “perceptions of social presence, enjoyment and physiological arousal during video game play” to gaming researchers and industry insiders at the National Communication Association conference in November 2006. “It’s definitely hard to say media has a 100 percent impact on our social behaviors, but it’s also impossible to say that it doesn’t,” Sanders said.  Part of the study discovered that people use more violent strategies while playing games against another person sitting next to them rather than against computer opponents. “What we found was that people actually do become more violent when they are playing against another person,” Sanders said.Two groups of people were observed during the study. Both played the popular video game Mortal Kombat, but one group played against each other in the same room while the other played against the computer by themselves. “There was that underlying force of another body in the room that kind of drove them in that direction to use more violent tactics,” Sanders said. David Hays, communication studies junior, purchased the original Gears of War when it was released in November 2006 and has been a fan ever since. Hays said he has been playing violent video games since he was young, but he said he kept his life balanced with sports and other activities. “If that was all I did as a kid, I can see how that would affect somebody,” Hays said. “The ratings system gets ignored a lot.”The lush graphics, crisp sound and unique combat experience are what attracted Hays to Gears of War. “I remember playing it for the first time and getting anxious,” Hays said. Although he hasn’t purchased the second installment yet, Hays said he is excited to play it. Gears of War follows a group of soldiers on planet Sera. Trying to save humankind from extinction, they battle for survival against the Locust Horde — a subterranean group of creatures. “In the majority of violent video games, you are not killing people — it’s aliens and demons,” said Warren Douglas, former University student and Gameware employee. Gameware’s College Drive location was open at midnight on Friday for the release of Gears of War 2. If a customer is under the age of 17, purchasing rated “M” games is prohibited without a parent present. “The responsibility definitely lies with the parents,” Douglas said. “[The box] tells you exactly what’s in the game. That’s for the parent to look at and decide if their kids can handle it.”Douglas said he doesn’t believe there is a direct correlation between violence in society and violence in video games. But he said people need to be emotionally mature before playing violent games.”I’ve been playing violent video games since the age of 5, and I’ve never even been in a fist fight,” Douglas said. Cohen Hartman, former University student and Gameware employee, said he always makes sure to tell parents exactly what is in the game they are purchasing for their children. He said sales for Nintendo Wii games, most titles of which are not violent, are high.”We sell just as many non-violent games as we do violent games,” Hartman said. “Everyone’s a little kid at heart.”- – – -Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]