gunning for violence

I don't want to be that old lady that rants about guns and video games but it is hard not to see the impact games like that have. I see it all the time, especially recently, how we need guns "like in those games!" to "take care" of people once and for all. This is coming from people I've known for years, friends who I would normally not think of as "gun people" but lately it's been different. Every once in a while I hear about how they think if they had this gun or that gun like they see in video games and movies it would all be different. They would all be the hero. I think thats the root of the issue. The heroes always have weapons, giant guns or even bazookas, something so over the top and idiotic. In this article about the popularity of video games from the Huffington Post by Greg Perreault, he talks about how "games also give us the ability to take risks that seem real without real world consequences." I think this is a more plausible reason for the increase of violence in video games, people enjoy the freedom that video games give them, like an alternate reality. In that world, you can be kill and be cruel and violent and still be the hero in the end. Video game companies are in it for the money, just like everyone else. And if everyone wants to be the hero, regardless of morals, why not let them have that chance? I think we should be worried about how violent video games are becoming but I don't want games to just be taken away. I don't think just banning games would be helpful but I also don't know how to make it so they aren't just full of senseless violence. I have played games with wonderful story lines that have included violent tendencies, so I don't know how to keep the strong stories but change the violence. What would be a good way to even begin a conversation about violence in video games without starting a war like the how NRA is with their guns?