Game Violence makes Violent People?

[ResidentWeevil2077]

I'd like to point out that bellydancer isn't quite against violence in video games (or if you are, I stand corrected), but the point is that whether you believe or not that violent video games causes violence in the real world, there is no scientific proof (other than someone who already had some form of mental illness that included psychotic tendencies) that violence in games = violence in real life. Anyone who believes this obviously knows nothing of the industry (as I pointed out in the other thread that led up this one, Sen. Joe Lieberman and his supporters know nothing about this, and should leave well enough alone).

[batlham]

Sen. Joe Lieberman and his supporters know nothing about this, and should leave well enough alone.

I used to repect Lieberman..before he ran with Gore. He is earning some back in recent times.

But they are all knowing senators (senile-tors) :down:

I love how they try to regulate and censor media they know nothing about.

Kind of like when Tipper Gore attacked rock and roll. Al was the head of the committee that she was a witness in.

Thank god it was John Denver to the rescue :banana:

 

If they did ban games...would it create a black market of even more violent games?

 

 

However, I once played GTA vice city and san andres non stop one weekend. Afterwards, I did have thoughts of running people over and other very dark thoughts. :whistling:

 

I wish I had my sister's research she did on this. She swears it causes violence in the average younger children, but not in the average high school age. Something to do with when the brain fully develops solid morals and rational behaviors. :huh: :)

 

edit: :stupid:

err.. talked to her after writing that...she say high school age is not fully developed and able to be influenced.

The average adult is not influenced by violent games.

She also added that a sociopath is more apt to play violent games...then do violence. However, without the games, they still would do the violence.

The games are just scapegoats for a deranged persons actions.

 

She now teaches psychology. She does a unit on this in her class. Plays a boring game and the kids just watch. Then she puts in mortal combat and whips a few kids at it. The student go wild and start yelling some disturbing things. Then, she points out their reactions to the games.

[Chesto]

People, especially young people, who play games for a long period of time build up levels of stress. No matter what the content. The problems arise when this stress is alleviated in unacceptable ways, ie. real violent acts. We all have different ways of dealing with stress. Some just go loco, even after playing My Little Pony for too long.

[xenxander]

In short, your answer: “No”.

 

I wrote my final English 1101 term paper on this very topic, arguing that “Video games and gaming in general does not cause violent behavior in children”. Minus a few punctuation point deductions (2pts *sniffles*) I received a perfect grade (98). <~~ and I had a very critical english professor too, who prided heself on never giving a 100 for any term paper ever.

 

Basically in a nutshell, anyone expressing violent behavior due to playing a video game already has a preexisting mental condition and the actions / violence experienced while playing the game merely surfaced and nurtured what was alredy present. But no parent will admit that, because their ‘baby’ can’t be screwy; it must be something else that did it. This thinking is a classic “Post hoc, ergo propter hoc” fallacy. Formatted for this topic, it translates into: “Because some video games are violent, the people who play them will therefore become violent.” And this wasn’t just geared towards the young minds either; it’s the same for all age groups.

 

I’m not going to recreate my paper here, and I wasn’t bragging about my grade, merely that I wrote some much defined and well researched text about it. I am not going to hijack the thread but trying to blame games for violent behavior is the same as trying to blame guns for murders. (I am not going to talk about that any more, and please let’s not talk about it – it was JUST A COMPARISON EXAMPLE!!)

[Abramul]

Blaming games for violent behavior is not the same as blaming guns for murder. Weapons make killing easier, and that is their purpose; games do not make violence easier, and their purpose is entertainment.

[Jhaerlyn]

Blaming games for violent behavior is not the same as blaming guns for murder. Weapons make killing easier, and that is their purpose; games do not make violence easier, and their purpose is entertainment.

 

 

 

actually, games do make violence eaiser .... because practicing something is the best way to make something easier to do :D .... violent games don't make violent people .... violent games give violent people better practice :D

 

and if you don't aggree with this, you should do some research on the history of games and play, and you'll see that humanity has been using play and games to prepare the young for adulthood ... because practice sux if it isn't fun.

 

The Army changed from practicing on bullseyes to practicing with silhouettes to help soldier get over the NATURAL disinclination we have to killing people ... now they find that threeD fps 's help do the same thing ...

 

How? well the theory goes that you mind, when finding it self in the REAL LIFE situation and needs to do what it is disinclined to do, falls back on training ... it will in a sense super-impose the fake over the real to help the mind justify what it's doing. ...

 

long periods of doing this, however, has its effects ..and we are seeing it on our soldiers .... we don't see it in these people with the killing sprees because ..well, they usually don't live long enough to have the cool down time to reflect on what they did ... blam, take themselves out ...

[Abramul]

Except that most video games are not realistic. For instance, have you ever tried target shooting while jumping around? I doubt that you would do very well.

 

And there's the whole matter of controllers. Using mouse, keyboard, and crosshair to move and shoot is very different from running around holding a weapon, and targeting by sight alone.

 

 

Now, if you were to say "Paintball gives violent people better practice", I would agree, and note that it also teaches weapon handling and real-world tactics. This is not, however, the same as saying that people who play paintball are violent, or that people with violent tendencies find paintball appealing.

[xenxander]

Exactly. To paraphrase someone else: “Button mashing is as far removed from the makings / workings of a real firearm is your ass is from the dark side of Uropa.

 

Mashing a controller or working a keyboard won’t make you a better marksman – but as mentioned, paintballing actually will, because it’s using ‘the real deal’, so to speak.

 

Games don’t cause this behavior – they provide an outlet for aggressive feelings which in turn promote healthy social behavior once it’s ‘out of their system’.

[Jhaerlyn]

Exactly. To paraphrase someone else: “Button mashing is as far removed from the makings / workings of a real firearm is your ass is from the dark side of Uropa.

 

Mashing a controller or working a keyboard won’t make you a better marksman – but as mentioned, paintballing actually will, because it’s using ‘the real deal’, so to speak.

 

Games don’t cause this behavior – they provide an outlet for aggressive feelings which in turn promote healthy social behavior once it’s ‘out of their system’.

 

Abramul and xenxander ... actually, that hasn't been found to be true. despite the fact that the mechanics of the shot is different.... what they have found is that, psychologically, the person becomes better prepared for the shots ... especially in FPS, because the games, trying to be more realistic, include many of the 'tricky' physics that real life throws at a shooter .... like having to lead a moving target, etc. Plus the whole idea of hitting humanoid shapes, which we are found to have a natural disinclination to want to do so. I was in the army, and my brother was an Airborne infantryman, who was Ranger-certified and was trained as a Sniper ... I have talked to him and many of his friends and they back up this concept with their own experiences. They said that the hardest part of shooting someone the first time was the idea that they were shooting someone. And each one (about 10 guys) told me that, in different ways or words of course, that they fell back on their training to get past the idea of killing a man. They made themselves forget that he was a man, and just thought of him as another target.

 

This is one of the areas where violent video games help make a person more ... expressively violent, let say.

 

and I never mentioned paintball... because it wasn't the topic. Sure, paintball will give a violent person better practice at shooting people too ... so will hunting animals ... but those aren't on the topic.

[delphinus]

I think everyone missed a basic factor: Ignorance.

Ignorance and isolation is the key to violence and lack of empathy towards others, no matter if you are a 12 year old kid or a 30 year old guy.

 

In my opinion, videogames are less dangerous than TV; in certain cases videogames could vent off the stress you take from real life, while in certain TV shows (for example certain american police stories that i hate) violence is a normal thing, discounted. Killing is not only a basic rule, but is a RIGHT thing! The funny part is that the main characters BELIEVE in this, through a perverse cult of personality. (anyone read American Psycho by Ellis?)

 

Blaming videogames for making people shooting in the schools is driving away the attention from the real problems. Get people some opportunity to enrich their culture first, and then we'll talk about violent videogames.

 

Let me say another thing or two: About the weapons you can buy in usa, repel this culture of self defense as soon as possible; you arent safe in a world where everyone is armed. You are safe in a world where everyone hates weapons.

 

I'm from Italy and i can assure you that here the mediatic system is a global project to make people dumb, ignorant and detached from political life, in addition, 99% of Journalists are servants of the politicians, so they can say all the lies they want without being opposed. We are in a state of permanent mediatic coma. I'm not only criticizing you americans you see. You should export your literature, not your "democracy".