violent video games?

[Deleted]

hey, ok. for one of my media exams for collage i am doin about violence in video games and if they cause violence in children. so i figured this would be the best way to get peoples opinions over a wide area. i would really appreceate the help. so i would like to here your views and experiences on the subject. do you think violent video games cause children to act violently elsewere? or is it down to something else.

Cheers
JJMitch

i'll try to give karma for thoses of you who give a proper reply.

[Mole]

Violent video games are not directly linked to violence, just like how violent movies, tv shows, and violent themes in music are not directly linked to violence. Video games, like the other forms of media, will still desensitize people to it, and if the person witnessing it has a poor sense of right or wrong, then they could be more prone to violence. However, this is not exclusive to games.

Look at how many people play video games. Going just by next-gen consoles sold in the US, 30,000,000 do. Now look at how many people have caused violence and either blamed video games themselves (which makes it sound like they're using it for a scapegoat) or someone blamed video games for them. There aren't very many, with the most popular being the Columbine and the Virginia Tech shootings (though in regards to the VT shooting, the shooter's roommate said that he never really played that many video games if at all). So, for the sake of the argument, let's say that 30 people have committed acts of violence that have to do with video games, that's about .0001% of the just the next-gen gaming population. That seems awfully low to me if video games are truly linked.

[rock21]

As Mole mentioned, video games are used as a scapegoat. The small minority of video gamers whose acts of violence were connected to video games... were mentally unstable in the first place.

[amxfiles]

Screwed up people like screwed up things. While a normal person may enjoy the violence in a video game, movie, or the dark lyrics of some crappy death metal song, a person who has already been screwed up is going to take the enjoyment to a whole new level. F'd up people like F'd up media. F'd up media doesn't make F'd up people. Gee, you mean the kid who shot another kid owned Doom? Every ing young person owned a copy of god damn Doom in the mid 90s. The er started out as a free program.

[Graze]

I don't recall a massive increase of turtle deaths by stomping in the 80's after Mario came out. Games are used as a scapegoats to blame for violence. It's so much easier to blame video games for shootings, etc then it is to look at the other reasons IE mental health issues, poor home life, bullying, etc.

[Deano]

Ugh, I hate the excuse that violent video games create killers. The minority of ed up people play video-games then take it a step further - like Mole said, thats a very, very small percentage of gamers.

Look at me for example, my favorite games are all gory, Dead Rising, Gears Of War ect, and I listen to metal, love horror films and watch wrestling, so according to the media, I'm supposed to be out now cutting someone up right?

To steal a line from Scream, 'Movies don't make psychos, movies make psychos more creative.'

[rollinhardcore]

Ok, this is my opinion.

Exposing violent games to young kids, as in 11 or younger, gets them obsessed. I know from experiance. Most of us guys went through the stage though. I'm not saying its bad, because its very common. I think that it definitly gives you ideas, but it's used as an excuse too much. And plus, as people have mentioned a million times, "the parents are the ones buying the games. They're rated M for a reason." And I agree. ESRB is there for a reason. There not giving games ratings just so they can be arseholes to the 8 year olds that are already playing T games.

[amxfiles]

There really does need to be an overhaul for the ESRB though.

[Graze]

I think the ESRB needs to use the same rating system as movies. Also, the AO rating, needs to go, the consoles pretty much already have that covered.

[amxfiles]

Well, if they are going to use the movie rating system, they need the AO, since it's identical to NC-17, which most movie theaters don't run, much like most stores don't carry AO games, but it needs to exist for the rare case and to keep the industry in check. And they can't use the MPAA system, because it's trademarked and there is lots of issues with that. Comics tried it, and they got in a good heap of trouble.

[Graze]

That's too bad. I think if parents saw a game that was "R" rated they wouldn't buy it for there kids, being more familiar with what "R" rated means.

[amxfiles]

I know it's silly, but I've always thought a color coding system would work great. Keep the E, E10+, T, and M, but color code them. People react to the color red in a certain way, it's a color of danger and alert, so that would be drafted to the M rating. When you pick up Grand Theft Auto: Lower East Side Edition, and there is a big red M on the cover, mommy is going to take notice, as opposed to the standard black and white symbols that all look the same and don't stand out. It's silly, but think it could work.

[Graze]

It will be like the Homeland Security colour system! Today, GTA: Alaska is rate yellow