The connection between playing games like this and violent crime is cleear for all to see.
So assuming you watched the video, you'll be going out killing tomorrow, will you?
No. You won't. And the reason why is because there is NOT a connection between violence in video games and violence on the streets. The people who copy (or attempt to copy) things like this are people who are already mentally ill or severely mal-adjusted.
When the toddler, Jamie Bulger, was murdered, the film "Child's Play III" was found in the bedroom of Robert Thompson and his friend John Venables, but people forget that hundreds of thousands of copies of that film were sold, yet there was simply ONE occasion where some children who were insane and utterly neglected, and bound to snap eventually in one way or another, appeared to copy scenes from it when they finally snapped.
There are many instances of people who go on killing sprees because they think God told them to, so should we ban Bibles? Or beat their wife to death because they were drunk, so should we ban all alcohol?
Bollocks! I'm sick of this whole "violent games cause kids to be violent" thing. There is absolutely no logic to it when you consider the figures.
Stanley Kubric chose to withdraw from distribution his film "A Clockwork Orange" once he heard that someone (who had a long history of violent schizophrenia, by the way) had commited a crime and done something similar to one of the film's scenes. But why did that guy do it? Because he was a nutcase, with a long history of headbanging insanity! And the other 3 million people who watched the movie... guess what... they didn't go out and copy it.
The movie and game industry is a soft target for people who want to ban things they personally dislike, and the canard that it escalates violence in real life is a perfect standpoint to work from. But it's just not true.
Faceless posted this video here, exposing those banned scenes - so is everyone who watches it on this site now a little more likely to go rip someone's head off? Nah, sorry, it's just not a viable argument.
IMHO It's not so much watching them as playing them that leads to violent behaviour.
The participation in an event, even if it is fantasy such as this, is not the same as reading about it or just viewing it.
Do people go out and shoot others because they see it on TV? Likely not.
If they read a book that has disturbing content then do they act on it? I don't believe so.
But in becoming part of an action, even if remotely, does touch upon a select number of people who are vulnerable already. It will not affect the typical person, but there are some who are easily impressionable and once 'into' these types of games I believe it becomes part of their subconscious and contributes towards their overall personality.
In playing many games where a reality is portrayed, there is something in a majority of people that says "I can't do this in real life so I'm going to do it in a game". That may mean sporting prowess or some other fantasy, typically of a harmless variety, but a sporting skill is not easily acquired to reporoduce in the real world. On the other hand, and again I am referring to the easlily led few who are vulnerable to this type of suggestion, it is relatively easy to obtain a big knife or even a gun and cause smeone considerable harm to experience an enhanced 'buzz' as if playing the game.
Is there more violent crime now than 50 years ago? I'm certain there is.
Do violent games contribute to some portion of it? I believe it is short sighted and ignorant to summarily dismiss it.
I have to say I agree with NekoKate, which is rare. ;-) I do not believe violent games or movies encourage violent behavior. It might set of an already mentally ill person, but quite frankly, it doesn't take much to set off a teeter tottering mentally ill person. I believe this whether they are watching or playing a game. I just see this as one more thing people want to ban unneccesarily. Just like when they banned talking on the cell phone. I've said many times that now my hands free piece allows me to hold my pepsi in one hand while changing my radio station, then grabbing a bite of my burger. So, that's all that helped to do. ;-)
IMHO It's not so much watching them as playing them that leads to violent behaviour.
The participation in an event, even if it is fantasy such as this, is not the same as reading about it or just viewing it.
Do people go out and shoot others because they see it on TV? Likely not.
If they read a book that has disturbing content then do they act on it? I don't believe so.
But in becoming part of an action, even if remotely, does touch upon a select number of people who are vulnerable already. It will not affect the typical person, but there are some who are easily impressionable and once 'into' these types of games I believe it becomes part of their subconscious and contributes towards their overall personality.
In playing many games where a reality is portrayed, there is something in a majority of people that says "I can't do this in real life so I'm going to do it in a game". That may mean sporting prowess or some other fantasy, typically of a harmless variety, but a sporting skill is not easily acquired to reporoduce in the real world. On the other hand, and again I am referring to the easlily led few who are vulnerable to this type of suggestion, it is relatively easy to obtain a big knife or even a gun and cause smeone considerable harm to experience an enhanced 'buzz' as if playing the game.
Is there more violent crime now than 50 years ago? I'm certain there is.
Do violent games contribute to some portion of it? I believe it is short sighted and ignorant to summarily dismiss it.
Lincoln, NM in the 1860s-1890s was one of the most dangerous places in America to live and more people were killed per capita in the Wild West than are today. Violent Crime has actually been on the decrease.
Charles Manson didn't play these games. Don't forget "Helter Skelter" is something he latched on to.
And the worse school attack happened in Bath, Michigan in 1927.
TV and films get blamed for violent crimes as does music.
John Wayne Gacy, Ed Gein, Gary Heidnik, Arthur Shawcross, David Parker Ray, and other serial killers and violent offenders didn't grow up with these games.
These individuals and others will find "inspiration" and motivation from any place they can. Whether it's film, music, movies, video games, television, books, porn, wherever. It's not the materials fault. It's the problems that they have. These materials act as a fuel for their behaviors but it's because the individual will obsess over them, not because the materials itself are doing it.
If these videos games caused violence there would be even more than what we have now because so many children and adult play them. And what about the designers? Why aren't they acting out violently? If anything they should really be out there because it's their minds that invent it.
I grew up watching violent films and scary films (since I was 6), reading Poe and other types of horror (including Barker) since around the age of 10, and I grew up with the evolution of violent video games. The difference between me and the ones who act out is this. I was continually reminded by my parents the difference between fantasy and reality. If I saw it in a movie, read it in a book, it didn't mean it could be done in real life. Pepper doesn't make you sneeze in really life the way it does in Tom and Jerry and my mom was sure to point that out to me before I took a big nose full in the middle of the kitchen. And also I have no psychosis.
These violent games cannot make someone violent. However, they can make someone who has issues or is predispositioned to violence and doesn't have a good grasp or idea of real life and fake more likely to commit violent crimes. That is why people need to take note of behaviors. If you see a game is making someone, especially a child more violent, they should not be allowed to play it. Just like if they watch a violent film and react in a violent way, they need to be monitored. As for adults, they should also be monitored. If one of my friends who plays these games (and I do have friends who do) started acting more violent I would be sure to mention it to them directly and also make sure to keep an eye on behavior. It's just common sense.
As for me, I don't play these games because they bore the hell out of me.
If one of my friends who plays these games (and I do have friends who do) started acting more violent I would be sure to mention it to them directly and also make sure to keep an eye on behavior. It's just common sense.
Sadly I don't think the people who will take this type of violence the wrong way and be influenced by it have many friends...
If one of my friends who plays these games (and I do have friends who do) started acting more violent I would be sure to mention it to them directly and also make sure to keep an eye on behavior. It's just common sense.
Sadly I don't think the people who will take this type of violence the wrong way and be influenced by it have many friends...
This is also true. Even family who notice a problem have trouble staving off any possible episodes. I also think it's not that easy to get the mentally ill help. It's because they have been abused and tossed so easily into institutions, that they have been given so many rights. This is great, but it also has come to a point that you can't get them help if they refuse to accept help. Many don't realize they need help. So, it's a catch 22. This is why this argument goes in circles I think. Everyone is trying to find a solution, but I don't think banning video games should be one of them.
Neokate, Pirty and Sky -- you all make good points and I have to agree. It's the same thing with violent cartoons. I couldn't believe it when they edited all those RoadRunner cartoons because they felt they were too violent ---- has anyone actually gone out and bought an anvil to drop on someone???? C'mon!
I didn't watch the posted clip, because it's not my kind of thing, but I doubt it's actually going to influence anyone to do these sorts of violent things.
That being said, I do think people are becoming more sensitized to this sort of violence. But I do believe it's truly those people with psychiatric issues who these might affect. Do we ban games and films because of these few individuals? That's a difficult argument to make.....one death is too many and yet, do you punish those who can handle these games/movies by removing them from the market? Quite a debate.
I have to say I agree with NekoKate, which is rare.
i feel left out now
if computers games had any effect, from all my pacman playing when i was younger i'd have been running around in a darkened rooms munching pills and listening to repetitive music.
If one of my friends who plays these games (and I do have friends who do) started acting more violent I would be sure to mention it to them directly and also make sure to keep an eye on behavior. It's just common sense.
Sadly I don't think the people who will take this type of violence the wrong way and be influenced by it have many friends...
This is also true. Even family who notice a problem have trouble staving off any possible episodes. I also think it's not that easy to get the mentally ill help. It's because they have been abused and tossed so easily into institutions, that they have been given so many rights. This is great, but it also has come to a point that you can't get them help if they refuse to accept help. Many don't realize they need help. So, it's a catch 22. This is why this argument goes in circles I think. Everyone is trying to find a solution, but I don't think banning video games should be one of them.
The treatment, diagnosis, and even keeping an eye on the mentally ill in our country (and many others) is handled so badly. You're so right pirty. It's a shame and a great disservice to everyone in our society.
Hehe, I'm so glad most people have agreed with some of what I said. I logged in here just now expecting to see loads of posts telling me I'm a demented bitch!
I'm also with Skylace in the fact that I don't play games like that - because they are really boring. I have Grand Theft Auto though, and that's hilarious!
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