Violence In Video Games

Ok I was awhile back watching a rather lengthy (2 hours long) show on G4 Tech TV called:

"Violence in Video Games"

and it had me thinking on the people in the US and how they are blaming games like Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, and Doom for some of the gun fatalities in the States (ie: Columbine)... I mean come on Games are the root of all evil?? I mean they have ESRB Ratings for a reason... so why should they be blaming the gaming industry for a fatality or another issue along the lines...

I was wondering... What are your veiws on this topic???

i think video games are a great way of releiving stress. I mean, it's just not fair. You see sex, and drugs on tv everyday. So what makes video games so different?

What the people don't realise is that we, who play the Games, won't go around in the middle of the day, re-enacting Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt... we aren't that stupid to, in all seriousness. They blame video games as they don't want to make the effort to find the root of what makes people do that. They see video games as something that is there and is easy to place the blame upon it.

I must say, violent video games are the ones that sell, and the reason they sell, is because, people have fantasies. Thats plain and simple. Some fantasies can become reality as we witness everywhere, not just America. Like your example about Columbine, I think the media is completely and utterly retarded for blaming Doom and Marilyn Manson on their violent acts. It's not video games or music that does this to young minds, it's either society or parents, and in some kids cases it's both. Society decides to label certain groups of people(ie. Goth, Skaters, Preps...etc) called stereotyping. Being outcasted like that, they have no choice but to become a group, to try and belong to something instead of nothing, to feel loved or being part of group they like to call a family because they think having to clean their rooms and have chores means their parents or whoever, dont love them. It's all teen angst and the rebellion of everything. I went through it, everyone will and did at a certain point in life. Then taking influence in these games and music means a whole lot more, like playing the game in front of their parents, knowing their parents will call it evil, but yet instead of being the parent and taking it away from the 11 or 13 year old they walk away, or if that 11 or 13 year old is jamming to Manson real loud in his room so his parents can hear it, all they'll do is say its evil turn their back to it...instead of taking t away. Its not games or music influencing these people to do these things, parents need to take more control of what their kids are doing and if they dont like it, until their old enough to move out and do their own thing...take the sh*t away. Parents buy the computers, the stereos, pay for the internet...then just tell them to go play...their by themselves and their not getting the parental guidance they need so they turn to their friends...Doom and Manson...so what does that tell you? Am I right or wrong?

people have to be in that state of mind or at least think about it to do it. for example- man watches rape film, goes out and rapes. This isnt because he's been influenced then and there, he has had the tendancies to do it in the first place. What i'm trying to say is that wierd F$#k ups (not aloud to swear i get told off) already want to go on a rampage and kill people, the game, film or what ever just pushes them a little further...

If any of you done media you'd know this...

so what i'm trying to say is that video game violence might not Cause crime, but it sure does influence a lot of it.....


karl

p.s if i could find this model that we used in media i'd upload it but can't find it... oh well

Well...
It might change ur mind on the types of games.
such as to me, i nvr played DMC3 (devil may cry 3)
and my friend let me borrow it and i am totaly hooked. I love the killing and how the game is.
I only played FF series and Crash Bandicoot ones...
and so forth but... DMC3ouu... changed me lol

I love DMC.
But it doesnt make me want to get a sword and go around killing people. ><

If it were the case that violent video games had an effect on the player, everyone who played a violent game would go out and commit a crime. This isn't the case. The person needs to be violently inclined in the first place. To quote Scream, "Movies don't create psychos, they just make psychos more creative". I think that holds true for video games as well.

Video games are used as scape goats like music and other things. It's usually crazy gun freaks/religious fanatics who cast the blame. f*ck gun control! Guns don't kill people! Video Games kill people!

I saw a topic like this in another forum... nvm.

Well, it's all about upbringing. If there's proper guidence given to a child/person. Then the violence won't really affect the person. But if you keep watching/playing/viewing violence on tv/internet/whatever, then violence would become a norm for that person. So that guy would be more involved in violent acts, seeing that s/he is exposed to this sort of stuff almost everyday.

in all honesty most things like this mean nothing think about it a gun dosen't kill a person the person weilding it has to pull the trigger a katana(sword)dosen't slice someone's throat the weilder does so its not just video games that have an effect movies even parents could have that effect on there children.

Video games are just a poor excuse used by hacks for one's violent actions, as they are unable to fathom why on Earth one could commit such an act otherwise. It's just an easy target.

Now I'm not saying that Video Games don't have an influence on someone's actions, I'm not that naive. But, it does worry me that the media and what appears to be the general public are failing to look at the bigger issues as to why one might want to shoot up a school et cetera. The idea that the Columbine killers used Doom as a means of training (from what I've read), and inspired them to go and commit such a crime is just laughable and ridiculous, it goes much deeper than that.

That cackarse Jack Thompson can go and blame Video Games for all that is evil in the workd as much as he wants. What he fails to point out is, that parents should be monitoring their children's activities on their consoles and computers. How the hell are kids able to play GTA and other games of that vein? Because their parents don't give a crap, that's why. They see games consoles (as well as television) as an electronic babysitter. Some kids are going to find that if it's easy to kill someone in a game, then doing the very same in reality should be as easy, right?

That's what concerns me.

I remember seeing something like that on G4. I think there was a game that wasn't even allowed in Australia as M or AO because of the violence, such as tearing off someone's ear or poking their eye out.... maybe it's the same episode!

People do get sucked into the video games with the most violence, blood, or brutal deaths.... but people like myself use video games to get away from the whole "real" world you people call the "real" world i call fantasy.

Video games are not the root of all violence and or evil. There has been evil since before telivision was created. even though this strengthens violence it couldn't be the roots.