Do you think violent video games make people violent?

#21 It's simple, really. If there was one proven, solid case of video games causing someone to go hurt someone without other provocation, purely for imitation's sake, then we wouldn't have these debates. It'd be made extremely well known, extremely quickly.

#22

Quote:i know playing gta probably has some bearing on the way i am constantly stealing cars and beating hookers now

hahahahahahahahaaaaa..... LMAO... good one Eric...


--Mike

#23 For sure! It's like Brandy and Coke make mechanics agro!
Brandy coke = Mechanics.....
Violent Games = Gamers!

#24 Violence has always been a part of life and to think any one thing causes it is being closed minded. I'm sick of the censorship crusade that is going on in the US. Chuck Shumer in NY wants to keep a game that supposedly gives you points for killing cops(Not sure if that is even accurate) from ever reaching store shelves. I don't agree with the game concept but let the damn market decide if it is a worthwhile game.Censorship is not the answer to keeping kids from being delinquents. We have V-chips in televisions, ratings systems for all media and parents just don't want to take the time to use the tools so they want the government to do it for them. What a joke. I can't see or hear something because the minority of parents don't want to take the responsibilty of raising their children.

This I think is a direct problem with the entertainment industry in general. So much is "safe". You need your movie to be PG-13 or less to have a large enough audience that the studio's will put up the money. I haven't seen a truly mainstream non independent movie blow me away in I don't know how long. I guarantee you will not see movie like Fatal Attraction come out in theaters nowadays.

#25 There are those in society who are predisposed to violence - media has little to no influence on that. Period.

Do I think that some games and media are 'tactless' in their liberal use of needlessly graphic violence? Yes, I do. But that's a personal taste. You can't legislate "bad" taste.

To expand upon an idea the original poster touched on for a moment, if you *as a parent* want to monitor or control what media your children have access to, then get involved - take the d@mn remote control, block stations an websites that introduce unwanted content - be a freaking parent for cripes sakes.

Raising other people children is NOT the job of the media - it's the job of the parent. How cr@p like this makes it's way into politics is beyond me. \C:

#26 Children have been playing at violence since the dawn of time. And as long as a clear distinction is drawn between pretend and reality there is no evidence to support the contention that any media type alone is a clear cause of violence.

The best evidence anyone has ever come up with was an early study that indicated that children who watched violent cartoons reacted more aggressively for a very short span of time afterwards. But there was no evidence that it caused any long term effects at all.

On the other hand, no one has ever done a study to determine if strong religious belief is a long term cause of violence in society or between societies, but I guess that is because we all already know the answer to that one don't we?

I would apologize but I can't - God made me do it...

;)

#27 They strike down playing a game that involves simple movement of the hands on a controller, yet they have no problem with games in which the focus is to tackle the person with the ball (as well as charging anyone in between) *shrug*

#28 It seems like there is a lot of emphasis here on the responsibilities of the parent, and how they should prevent violent video games from corrupting their children. That is all very well, but what happens when your immaculately brought up and polite, charming and sensitive child is blown up or shot by some other persons kid because they just couldn't be bothered to make as much effort as you. The strength of the anti violence campaign is not to take the burden off the campaigners themselves (why do you think they put so much effort into the campaigns if they don't care about their kids), but to counter the effects of other parents' mistakes.

Don't get me wrong, I do not personally have strong support for the video games and violence connection, although I am sure that it plays its part in some cases, but I hate to see people being condemned for standing up for what they believe in. If you can offer scientific proof that their argument is wrong, let them know, but don't flame them for having a different opinion.

#29 That is true... they complain about video games being violent... but will not say anything about football... where you are actually physically attacking another person...
Though I've always have wished that they would finally give the football players guns, swords and hand grenades to play with....I wouldn't miss a single game then!

But that wont happen for another 10 or 15 years.... I hate waiting:(

#30 Thats why we have video games, so we don't have to wait for things like that :)

#31

Quote:don't flame them for having a different opinion.

I don't. It's when they try to legislate their viewpoint by making it a prominent political issue (as has been done of late) that they incur my wrath.

I'm not responsible for raising others' kids - I don't want to be, and am not going to be. I have enough on my own plate.

Of course, I have no intention of ever producing something that would incur such negative atteniton in the first palce, but that's not the the point... censorship, regardless of the form it takes, never winds up being a "good thing" in the end.

It's a quintessential and fundamental precept of freedom of speech and expression - someone is undoubtedly going to express something you don't like - you're free not to listen. Easy cheesy.

#32 This is much like being in grade school. When someone does something unacceptable and ruins it for the entire class. Much the same there are many game developers out there that have ruined it for those of us that uphold our professional integrity. Now people can't trust just the cover and advertisement of a game to hint at its full variety of content, so they must rely on some sort of rating or censorship system. No its not fair to those of us who wouldn't abuse advertisement and people's trust, though life isn't fair.

Quote:I'm not responsible for raising others' kids - I don't want to be, and am not going to be. I have enough on my own plate.

I do understand and completely agree with that though, but then again life isn't fair. You roll with the punches, fight the uphill fights, whatever it takes to succeed. Now I'm not suggesting roll over and let them do this without any resistence. There are many ways to fight against these things, the most obvious of those being legistlation to protect game developers and petitions against legislation that would threaten us.

#33 I play GTA with my 3 year old all the time and he has yet to beat a hooker.

Okay, just kidding. I do not believe in the violence of video games causing violence in children. But as a parent of two kids under the age of 4 I don't play those games when they are in my lap. I also don't let them bite or hit other children and they know they will be punished for it.

They only watch PBS and games I play with them are non-violent.

#34 Speaking of violence... www.latinoreview.com/scriptreviews/shootemup/promoreel/index.html check out the animatics for this movie that just got green lit to be made.

#35 But in Footbal there is no blood... and exploding heads...

Violent games surely does have a longterm effect... Especially with graphics becoming more realistic.
With Television you are not in control and everything the main character does (Directors usually try and connect the viewer to him/her/it) is what the Director/Writer wants it to... With games you, the players, are in control... And you get that urge of "what would happen if I kill this scientist"... You can actually do it...
But then again... I totally agree with Kirby... People should raise their Kids properly.

#36 Think a lot of it is down to how kids can be punished now days. You can't slap your kid without being called a child beater. I mean I used to get a slap when I did wrong and I am yet to nick a car and run people down before going on a shooting rampage with an Uzi. Maybe the things I used to do wrong were influenced by games I played back then like Yars Revenge?!?!?

#37 I still murder mushrooms with a big hammer. I blame Mario's World. Someone stop me! Stop the mushroom genocide!

#38

Quote:why do you think they put so much effort into the campaigns if they don't care about their kids

I only condemn when my rights are being infringed upon. The gov't needs to stay out of what I want to watch on television, listen to on the radio, play on my computer or console.

Hmm let me take a guess on that one.

If it's a politician. Getting votes. Who is going to be against violence corrupting children? It's an easy platform and keeps the focus off real issues like education, health care reform, stem cell research etc.

If it's an organization like American Family Association. Donations. Again why would you be against something like the American Family Association. (Unless of course you are Gay) They do not think you should have any rights.

If it is a victims family. They are obviously in greif and need to have an answer to why. They lay blame and bury themselves in a crusade in order to make it through the day.

#39 25 to Life boycott.

Quote:"The last thing we need here in New York is to reinforce a destructive culture of violence and disrespect for the law. Little Johnny should be learning how to read, not how to kill cops," Schumer said in separate comments.

But what if kids read violent novels like... "See Penny Run" (run from the law that is...)

#40 I think they should give credit to games for making people less violent. If it wasn't for the chance to 'let go' in games, I'd be out whacking stupid peoples' heads off with a shovel myself.

Stupid people who like to enforce their views on me with stupid issues like violence in video games.

I'll give them a reason to keep violence in the games, hehehe!

Honestly, though. Violence is part of nature, wether it be human or otherwise. Games appeal to our violent nature and help to keep us from exploding in traffic when we happen to get cut off by some jackass looking to get a foot up his rectum.

Instead of raising crap about games, a human made (err?), inanimate object, why don't more people raise issues about people who make life suck. That's an issue I want argued.

But then why would they argue 'themselves'?

- Ronixus

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