Does playing violent video games make you a violent person?
- Thread starter PK8
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LegacyComplete
Member
Hell no.
I'm pretty sure you're not going to see much of a debate here Punk. You might try taking this to... School or something. This is, after all, a video game creation forum, and the massive majority of video games incorporate violence, the ones created here have no exception. And I'm sure most people stand by their work and say, "playing this won't make you kill people."
Now, I'm pretty sure to an extent, yes, video games do teach violence to an extent. But it's about 1 brick in the side of the local prison. Just like when you see the police beat up a guy that's drinking and making trouble and you think, "good for them," or when you see a boxing match on TV, video games give you a lightened impression of violence. I'd have to say how movies are all trying to make realistic situations more popular are probably more at fault for violence than video games though. I mean, who's going to see Final Fantasy VII, and get it in their head that they need a giant sword. Nobody that's who, shut up. But you see gangster movies, like Scarface (and yes, everybody thinks Tony Montana is cool), and you think, "holy shit, cocaine is a hell of a drug, I'm gonna get me some Cuban buddies and shoot me up some drug dealers and steal their business."
The moral of the story is, of course, that seeing anything leaves an impression. Video games are sometimes very realistic, and leave a greater impression, and sometimes lead people to do silly things. There's no one thing at fault for a person's actions, it's a mass complex of crap leading up to the event. Like Mr. I-Shot-My-Friend-Over-A-Game-Of-Madden. You think it's the football game's fault he shot his friend? Yeah, but only in the term that it was a competition, I'd put more at fault the guy's upbringing as an obvious jackass.
Now, I'm pretty sure to an extent, yes, video games do teach violence to an extent. But it's about 1 brick in the side of the local prison. Just like when you see the police beat up a guy that's drinking and making trouble and you think, "good for them," or when you see a boxing match on TV, video games give you a lightened impression of violence. I'd have to say how movies are all trying to make realistic situations more popular are probably more at fault for violence than video games though. I mean, who's going to see Final Fantasy VII, and get it in their head that they need a giant sword. Nobody that's who, shut up. But you see gangster movies, like Scarface (and yes, everybody thinks Tony Montana is cool), and you think, "holy shit, cocaine is a hell of a drug, I'm gonna get me some Cuban buddies and shoot me up some drug dealers and steal their business."
The moral of the story is, of course, that seeing anything leaves an impression. Video games are sometimes very realistic, and leave a greater impression, and sometimes lead people to do silly things. There's no one thing at fault for a person's actions, it's a mass complex of crap leading up to the event. Like Mr. I-Shot-My-Friend-Over-A-Game-Of-Madden. You think it's the football game's fault he shot his friend? Yeah, but only in the term that it was a competition, I'd put more at fault the guy's upbringing as an obvious jackass.
sixtyandaquarter
Member
The violence is there. Books have been blamed for sexual deviance. Music for devilish summoning. Poems for political decay. Plays and the theatre were thought, for such a long time, to be without morale. Videogames is just the latest form of art/entertainment that people have decided to pick on.
Instead of blaming art/entertainment, social grounds and childhood upbringing should be checked. Background research shows that most violent people come from an unstable background + a "mental disorder" most commonly received or extended from that background.
What makes someone violent, ins't a hobby or pasttime, though that may be used in the violence. It's the personal decisions - or lack of ability to make rational decisions, that do so.
Instead of blaming art/entertainment, social grounds and childhood upbringing should be checked. Background research shows that most violent people come from an unstable background + a "mental disorder" most commonly received or extended from that background.
What makes someone violent, ins't a hobby or pasttime, though that may be used in the violence. It's the personal decisions - or lack of ability to make rational decisions, that do so.
No matter how violent the game, nothing can compare to good parenting. A 4-year-old playing Grand Theft Auto should in no way contribute to their behavior if they have a good parent teaching them that what happens in the video game is wrong and teaches them to differentiate between the fantasy world of video games and the real world.
I am only 22, but I was taught very young that just because James Bond in 007: Goldeneye (I'm dating myself here, but that game was awesome!) shoots someone in the head, that does not mean that I can, nor should I, go shoot someone in the head. I knew it was FANTASY.
Everyone tells me that I am one of the most passive people they know, but I have been playing violent video games since I was little. Most parents simply like to sit their kids in front of an "electronic babysitter" (ie: T.V., video games, etc.) and then wonder why, after years of being neglected and ignored by their parents, their children turn out the way they do. It must certainly be what they are watching, and the parents go on a crusade against the media, when they could be at home PARENTING!
To a certain extent, media does need to be regulated, and that is what safe-guards like V-Chips in televisions and video game ratings are for, but all the bad media in the world can be offset by simply good parenting.
I am only 22, but I was taught very young that just because James Bond in 007: Goldeneye (I'm dating myself here, but that game was awesome!) shoots someone in the head, that does not mean that I can, nor should I, go shoot someone in the head. I knew it was FANTASY.
Everyone tells me that I am one of the most passive people they know, but I have been playing violent video games since I was little. Most parents simply like to sit their kids in front of an "electronic babysitter" (ie: T.V., video games, etc.) and then wonder why, after years of being neglected and ignored by their parents, their children turn out the way they do. It must certainly be what they are watching, and the parents go on a crusade against the media, when they could be at home PARENTING!
To a certain extent, media does need to be regulated, and that is what safe-guards like V-Chips in televisions and video game ratings are for, but all the bad media in the world can be offset by simply good parenting.
All the doctors and psychiachrists say that videogames are bad for your children and then they give examples like Halo, Battlefied, TOKRA, and Conker. I'm mean common! They're rated M for a reason.
EDIT: There was also a study shown that it does not increase violence in mature players and older teens (who are maturer but I wanted to make sure it's clear... :/ *stops*)
EDIT: There was also a study shown that it does not increase violence in mature players and older teens (who are maturer but I wanted to make sure it's clear... :/ *stops*)
Crystalgate
Member
Are you really sure that all of them (or even the majority) says that videogames are bad for children? As you're already aware, studies done on this subject does not support that notion at all. This may have been what doctors and psychiatrists once said, but I doubth they are likely to say that at this point.ToriVerly;165201 said:
i have psychology courses at school. in a lesson about video-games there is said that most studies come to the conclusion that video games don't have any violent influences ( it only was for 16+ tough). they even said games have positive influences like better hand-eye coordiination and reflexes, if you don't exegerate ofcourse.
I've seen a lot of material on the subject, and in all honesty, I don't think games make people violent, because all you need to do is look at it logically.
First off: It's been mentioned by a few people, that violent people play violent video games. Yes, they probably do, first off. No doubt about it, is there? It makes sense.
Second: Let's use Postal 2 as an example game, one of the primary media scapegoats, since it is a perfect example.
We take a person, a young man who hates violence and is an ideal member of society. We put him in front of the computer and set him loose in the Postal world. First objective: Go to work and get his paycheck. Not hard, but he is fired, and picks up a gun, then violent video game protesters enter the building. Not people who protest violent video games, but violent people who protest video games. Everything goes to hell, and the player?
He escapes through the pre-mapped back exit and never kills anyone.
The next scene is the bank where you cash the little pay you got. Bank robbers, of course. And they clearly holler: "If you want to live, just stay down!" Yet another situation escaped by non-violent means!
And if you were to take the same person and put them in Doom 3, chances are they'll avoid fighting, period.
No one in the world who is 100% non-violent will play those games in the first place. Then, there's the people who understand the difference between war and playing war in the backyard when they were young.
To quote an author I read a lot of books from:
"Television has taught kids that adults settle their differences with shootouts, fistfights, and car chases. Kids arn't stupid, they know they can't steer and see over the dashboard at the same time."
Kids ad adults alike can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Except for Mr. Jack Thompson, who thinks the fantasy voices in his head telling him what the experts say are reality.
First off: It's been mentioned by a few people, that violent people play violent video games. Yes, they probably do, first off. No doubt about it, is there? It makes sense.
Second: Let's use Postal 2 as an example game, one of the primary media scapegoats, since it is a perfect example.
We take a person, a young man who hates violence and is an ideal member of society. We put him in front of the computer and set him loose in the Postal world. First objective: Go to work and get his paycheck. Not hard, but he is fired, and picks up a gun, then violent video game protesters enter the building. Not people who protest violent video games, but violent people who protest video games. Everything goes to hell, and the player?
He escapes through the pre-mapped back exit and never kills anyone.
The next scene is the bank where you cash the little pay you got. Bank robbers, of course. And they clearly holler: "If you want to live, just stay down!" Yet another situation escaped by non-violent means!
And if you were to take the same person and put them in Doom 3, chances are they'll avoid fighting, period.
No one in the world who is 100% non-violent will play those games in the first place. Then, there's the people who understand the difference between war and playing war in the backyard when they were young.
To quote an author I read a lot of books from:
"Television has taught kids that adults settle their differences with shootouts, fistfights, and car chases. Kids arn't stupid, they know they can't steer and see over the dashboard at the same time."
Kids ad adults alike can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Except for Mr. Jack Thompson, who thinks the fantasy voices in his head telling him what the experts say are reality.
No way. I've been playing Videogames all my life like GTA and MGS and I’ve never been convicted of murder or any other thing like that.
If you think about it, people have seen violent images before there was a thing called Games. Think about some of the Civil War pics and many others through time.
I believe it is the way the person grew up (Not raised right, no one was ever around them to help them, abused, etc...) or drugs.
If you think about it, people have seen violent images before there was a thing called Games. Think about some of the Civil War pics and many others through time.
I believe it is the way the person grew up (Not raised right, no one was ever around them to help them, abused, etc...) or drugs.
For the most part, no, since most people can differentiate between a video game and reality. Hoewever, there are undoubtedly some in the world who aren't all up there (in the head) and probably get "ideas" or "inspiration" from excessively video games (Like GTA). But then again, they can get the same ideas and inspiration from the news. So yeah, no.
I think all videogames do is desensitize us to violence. However, that definitely doesn't make people that play videogames violent people. You can say the same thing about movies, and we haven't had a cultural fallout after violence in movies was introduced.
It's the same thing with those people who thought the Harry Potter books were great because they endorsed witchcraft (?). But just because I read Harry Potter doesn't make me a witch (or wizard, for that matter). Only if someone is really obsessed with said videogame (or movie, or book) and is not the "sharpest tool in the box," it shouldn't even matter.
But definitely videogames do not magically produce real violence.
It's the same thing with those people who thought the Harry Potter books were great because they endorsed witchcraft (?). But just because I read Harry Potter doesn't make me a witch (or wizard, for that matter). Only if someone is really obsessed with said videogame (or movie, or book) and is not the "sharpest tool in the box," it shouldn't even matter.
But definitely videogames do not magically produce real violence.
The Storyteller
Member
Here is actually a lab study done on this I did a summary on:
I aggree that video games increase aggression/violence.
Video games 'increase aggression'
Researchers start on a new study saying violent video games like Doom increase aggression. Researchers are also saying that violent TV doesn’t stand to violent video games, because on the games you are controlling the violence. Young men already aggressive can become more aggressive do to violent video games. At a college study of 227 men, the ones who played violent video games in high school were much more aggressive. 210 of these students played either Doom or Myst, a violent and non-violent game, the Doom players became instantly more aggressive. The way these games make you more aggressive is by pumping your brain with aggressive thoughts. The amount of time playing these video games also triggered lower academic scores. Dr. Anderson, the doctor doing these studies, also stated that there is much more time spent playing these video games then watching TV or movies. The exposure to such games is much more likely to trigger aggression than watching a violent movie. Though the actual evidence that violent media triggers violent in the real world is slim-to-none. Hardly any actual proof outside the laboratory has occurred. Dr. Cumberbatch says that it could have been the face pace of action films or games rather than the violence triggering the aggression.
Researchers start on a new study saying violent video games like Doom increase aggression. Researchers are also saying that violent TV doesn’t stand to violent video games, because on the games you are controlling the violence. Young men already aggressive can become more aggressive do to violent video games. At a college study of 227 men, the ones who played violent video games in high school were much more aggressive. 210 of these students played either Doom or Myst, a violent and non-violent game, the Doom players became instantly more aggressive. The way these games make you more aggressive is by pumping your brain with aggressive thoughts. The amount of time playing these video games also triggered lower academic scores. Dr. Anderson, the doctor doing these studies, also stated that there is much more time spent playing these video games then watching TV or movies. The exposure to such games is much more likely to trigger aggression than watching a violent movie. Though the actual evidence that violent media triggers violent in the real world is slim-to-none. Hardly any actual proof outside the laboratory has occurred. Dr. Cumberbatch says that it could have been the face pace of action films or games rather than the violence triggering the aggression.
I aggree that video games increase aggression/violence.
Fallofthetyrant
Member
Box increases violence, wrestling, movies, books, ideologies.
Everything can cause violence, looking at it this way, even The Simpsons may make me be a violent person
Everything can cause violence, looking at it this way, even The Simpsons may make me be a violent person