Violence in Video Games

So G4 did a report on violence in video games. I think this is rather a 'serious' issue and not something to go in general chit-chat. So what are your thoughts?

For me, I haven't personally had a family death or any of the sort, but I can understand the pain that comes with it. And for the loved one to be shot would probably change ones outlook on life. But for someone to shoot another and say "Doom made me do it" or something like that is very hard for me to believe. Doom didn't make you do it, it was your choice. Life is not like a video game, and there is a fine line between reality and fantasy. I'm starting to believe that all polatics wish to blame something, so why not video games?

What I'm trying to say is that there are greater issues here. With kids shooting people, the issue is not the influence, but how the kid got the gun in the first place. Also, that kid probably is either
a) incredibly stupid
b) has problems
or c) all of the above

Now I know most of you are gamers. (You should be, you're on a zelda forum) And most of you probably agree that those kids are stupid. But what are your personal thoughts, and what do you think the government should do?

PS- Sorry for the typos, I'm a bad speller. (Doh!)

Originally Posted by TeleIce

So G4 did a report on violence in video games. I think this is rather a 'serious' issue and not something to go in general chit-chat. So what are your thoughts?

For me, I haven't personally had a family death or any of the sort, but I can understand the pain that comes with it. And for the loved one to be shot would probably change ones outlook on life. But for someone to shoot another and say "Doom made me do it" or something like that is very hard for me to believe. Doom didn't make you do it, it was your choice. Life is not like a video game, and there is a fine line between reality and fantasy. I'm starting to believe that all polatics wish to blame something, so why not video games?

What I'm trying to say is that there are greater issues here. With kids shooting people, the issue is not the influence, but how the kid got the gun in the first place. Also, that kid probably is either
a) incredibly stupid
b) has problems
or c) all of the above

Now I know most of you are gamers. (You should be, you're on a zelda forum) And most of you probably agree that those kids are stupid. But what are your personal thoughts, and what do you think the government should do?

PS- Sorry for the typos, I'm a bad speller. (Doh!)

you say that life isn't a video game? Well, it used be reality but in this century it isn't anymore. Look at the world,They plant a bomb many people die, some poeple want power and only think of them self, it is sure a video game, don't you think?It's just like battle field games. Now I know and I heard that many kids have killed their own brother. Like when I was 8 years old, I heard in the news that two brother where playing a samurai game and later they took knives and started to hit each other and finally died. Ok Like you said, I also think these sort of people have problems that can not be solved. And I don't think the government will do something about it, because I think they rather think about their country than their people instead.

A video game twisting you to shoot a guy... thats just sick, creepy and wrong.... *shudder like hell*

They actually did an experiment whose aim was to prove that violent video games make someone more violent. It involves someone playing a violent video game, and then taking part in a controlled quiz. They ask the questions; if the person gets it right they give them jelly beans, if they get it wrong then they have to dip the persons hand in ice-cold water for however long they wish.
It turned out that those who played the shooting video game for the longest were the ones to keep the hand in the icy water for the longest, i.e. displaying violent/sadistic qualities.

^That's not entirely true.

I play violent video games all the time. Do I have a tendency to go out and act violent? No. Do I have a tendency to torture helpless animals? No. Do I have a tendency to curse my parents out loud? No. Do I have a tendency to fail my tests and not hand in my homework because of violent video games? No. Any entertainment systems (radio, television, movies, video games) can make people do bad in academic settings if they are addicted to these things from the start.

We are violent within our natures to begin with. To say that a person is 100% innocent from the start and is completely pure with no evil thoughts whatsoever is wrong. If that person truly exists, he or she would be God already.

On the contrary, I love my family, I respect and like my friends. I especially love animals. Would me playing horrendously violent video games going to change me into a mindless killing machine? I doubt it.

Most likely, those people that are affected by violent video games are brought up badly. Their parents didn't do a good job to help those people to distinguish the differences between right and wrong, reality and virtual reality. Then when something happens because the parents were too retarded to bring up their kids properly, people blame it on video games.

News flash: radios, televisions, movies, and even real-life encounters/incidents can all be violent. Why single out video games in the first place? Biased media representation I would say, to bring out the best interest in people. After all, video games are huge in the markets these days.

^ Those were the results this experiment managed to gather. It’s not my conclusion, but the one of the researchers who conducted it. As for me, I say that even though in most cases video games do not make someone actions more violent, there are exceptions were this happens. An example is that of Michael Carneal, ‘a 14 year old who had never held a gun in his life but was an expert video gamer. He stole a pistol, walked into Middle school and shot eight of his classmates with deadly accuracy’,

*shrugs*

You can view it however you want. I occasionally play violent video games, and know people who play them all the time who don’t lash out. Like I said, there are always exceptions to the rule.

I have to say that I don't think any of those so-called "news stories" are true. I think that the older generations (no offense to any of said generation that may be present here, by the way) are using these games that they do not understand as scapegoats of actions they comprehend even less. I play games like that. Hell, I'm listening to the theme from Halo as I'm typing this! But just because I wiped out a Covenant ringworld in a video game does not mean that I am suddenly adept in the use of a pistol or an assaul rifle. People are blowing things way out of proportion, in my humble opinion. Half of it is scapegoating, like I said before. If they really, really believe that games like that cause bad influences, why are games like Grand Theft Auto and NARC still on the market?

I offer this in to put some things in perspective. (<- I don't think I spelled that right) I often come home from school in the afternoon feeling depressed and even sometimes angry at certain people. One of the ways I relieve that stress is by playing Halo or Samurai Warriors for half an hour or so. This one time, a kid showed me a picture of a burning house and told me it was mine. That is actually my worst fear in life. Did I pull out a gun and shoot him? Of course not! But I did go home and beat Halo on Legendary for the first and only time . The point is that sometimes the very games the media criticizes can keep a person like me sane. And believe me when I say that keeping me sane is in everyone's best intrest. (Little humor there)

I think that video games are the cause of this, from a certain point of view. Just as much as moives, music, and things of that nature, video games can have an impact on people. If you play games like this, it might effect you, but that's also because of issues either you or your family has. If you play a game, you don't imedeatly think, "I'll do such and such to so and so." At least I hope not. Just as much as if you listen to music about killing someone it might make you feel that way.

In fact, I think that music is worse than anything. Music and other things you hear effect you more than things you see. For instance, when I was younger, when I read a cuss word, then I didn't flip out, I just put the book up and didn't look at it. But if I heard it, I freaked out. And then I started highs school, where you hear all 7 in one sentance, but that's another issue.

So in conclusion, down with the people who think video games are evil. And people you disagree with this:
~Ganon not gannon

Personally I think the government should step in and impose limits on violent game sales before it's too late.

Whether violent games lead to violent actions is irrelevant. So long as violent games exist and we don't have reasonable protection mechanisms in place, they'll be attacked. When people die, others look to place blame, and even seemingly-violent things make for easy targets (aside: This isn't too far off from the Cindy Sheehan issue). The industry itself has done an absolutely horrible job at self-restraint, and if the government doesn't step in with reasonable measures soon (i.e. holding retailers responsible) we risk having them step in with unreasonable measures later (e.g. federal review boards, narrow compliance guidelines for developers/publishers).

Do violent videogames actually lead to violent actions? I'm sure they do for some. There're a lot of messed up people in the world that don't take much to go over the edge. My own belief that I'd never do anything violent shouldn't mean anything, nor should anecdotes from others. This is a case of me not worrying about myself so much as I worry about other people. And it's not as if there aren't cases of violence being directly tied to video games.

Originally Posted by ~Naranoc~

there are exceptions were this happens. An example is that of Michael Carneal, ‘a 14 year old who had never held a gun in his life but was an expert video gamer. He stole a pistol, walked into Middle school and shot eight of his classmates with deadly accuracy’,

A person who never played video games in his or her life can equally do the same thing. A five years old kid can equally do the same thing. Shot eight of his classmates? First of all, you didn't specify how far his classmates were when he pulled the trigger (anyone could have gotten super accuracy shots at close range). Second of all, playing shooter games are completely different than firing a gun. How you can tie pushing a bunch of buttons and pulling a trigger together is beyond me. Third of all, how would news media know that he had "never" held a gun in his life? How would his parents know exactly that he had never held a gun in his life? For all we know, he could have held a gun before with his other buddies or something and played around with it with empty clips for an example.

Just because he was able to shoot his classmates with "deadly accuracy", that doesn't mean video games contributed anything to this incident. Not to mention that he could have gotten lucky and shot a few accurate rounds. The fact of the matter is, according to that quote of yours, he shot "eight" of his classmates with deadly accuracy, but just how many shots had he gotten off with that gun before he killed eight people?

And it's not as if there aren't cases of violence being directly tied to video games

There's a flaw there. We are talking about video games influencing gamers due to graphical content and concepts exist in the games. What you have posted as a reference to back up your statement is rather different. It's about how a game OBJECT and ECONOMIC TRANSACTION causing the guy to stab another. It's not about how a game directly influenced the guy to stab another with its suggestive themes.

In fact, that's not even psychological, which are what violent video games were being criticized of. That article is more about how a guy is feeling angry for an item that he has lost, a rather physical thing in virtual reality, with the main focus being the cyber sword.

Off on a slight tangent here, I sort of support Jack Thompson's cause, in the sense that I don't think little kids should be able to play violent games. But what really gets me heated is that whenever Jack is off on a rant, he says "The video Game Industry". That makes me very discomforted. Do you see Nintendo making games full of sex, violence and drugs? No. You see Sony allowing trash like that onto their consoles. He's making a very inaccurate assumption, and you know how bad it is to assume. That's like saying all Rock groups are bad, and they encourage youth to rebel. When only a few rock groups are actually bad influences.

Honestly I think that people like to blame video Games for violence just because there is nothing else to blame. They use to blame music, movies and television now it is video games turn. It is true that kids should not in anway play ultra violent games, but with new laws that responsablity is in the hands of the parents. Yes it is true that kids can still get a hold of these games, that is not the games fult itself. If a child, or anyone, can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality then they must have an underlaying mental problem, in my oppinion. In summery i think it is just the blame game and this will soon pass.

That's the problem with the human race in general. We're always looking for a scapegoat, always something to blame. We can't just say "Oh dear! Bobby shot someone!" We must say "Oh dear! Bobby shot someone because he played Halo!" Now, this is what we should do: "We must take Bobby to a counselor, and find out why he did it." No, humans are too impulsive. We always want to blame someone, and quickly!

Looking back on this post, I feel like an alien, talking about the human race to another alien.

Do violent video games expose someone to violence? Obviously.
Do violent video games glamorize violence? Of course.
Do violent video games desensitize someone to violence? Definitely.
Do violent video games cause people to be more aggressive, in the short-term? I'd say so.

Do violent video games influence people to commit violence? Hm.

Only if you're so idiotic you can't distinguish a portrayl from reality. I'd bet half of those who blame video games for a violent act they've committed (or, more particularly, their parents) are using that as an excuse so they don't have to take accountability for their actions.

The other half, of course, are apparently too moronic to live with the rest of society, and need to distance themselves from all forms of media whatsoever. That includes Saturday morning cartoons; I don't want anyone dropping anvils off of overpasses. [/hyperbolic sarcasm]

I don't enjoy violent games, but I think it's ridiculous for anyone to blame their behavior on them. They might influence people for the worse, but they certainly won't push anyone over the edge who wasn't already falling off.

Violence in video games is different than in real life. Like shooting barrels to make them explode: Mythbusters proved just how hard it is.

Thanks to that nutcase Thompson, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and blaming the violence on video games.

I go the shooting range pretty often, and even GTA didn't change my perspective on guns. I didn't have any desire to start a massacre, and I used my weapons with caution. Video games only improved my hand-eye coordination, it didn't turn me into a killing machine.

Originally Posted by Lone Wolf

There's a flaw there. We are talking about video games influencing gamers due to graphical content and concepts exist in the games. What you have posted as a reference to back up your statement is rather different. It's about how a game OBJECT and ECONOMIC TRANSACTION causing the guy to stab another. It's not about how a game directly influenced the guy to stab another with its suggestive themes.

I think a point was missed here.

Three common lines of reasoning against the notion of gaming correlating to violence:
1. Games don't have a heavy influence on us.
2. Any idiot can tell fantasy from reality.
3. It doesn't happen to me, so logically there's something else to pass the buck to (e.g. your first post).

The incident described in the article and other similar ones suggest that 1 and 2 aren't necessarily true. The third is false for being anecdotal. The fact that we have individuals that take gaming very seriously, and allow it to bleed into their personal lives is going to have both positive and negative effects, however negligible. As 1 and 2 begin to blur, the potential for impact of violent content increases.

Of course, you're free to challenge the post hoc fallacy in that if you want, but then the APA has that base covered for me. Several others, mind you. Twice, in fact.