Video Games and violence.

[Cafe]

Seems like the media loves to point out reasons for the madness in todays youth. I keep reading and hearing the finger pointing of violent video games. I think its BS and do not buy into that. My opinion, very simple broken homes and family values.

[Tehterokkar]

Weak minded people will be hurt by violence in media(Mostly video games). If parents teach the children that games/movies are only "fairy tale"(at least my parents taught me that) then the child is less likely to believe it is reality.

It all comes down to bad parenting imo.

PS. I assume this topic is about the shooting in Connecticut

[yjmark]

The shooting in CT is a tragedy. Very sad to see that.

Unfortunately, every tragedy needs a media scapegoat. And you can bet that the media will not point a finger at a grieving parent. Guess what is next on their list.....stuff kids enjoy that conservative adults don't.....video games and certain kinds of music.

[Tehterokkar]

The shooting in CT is a tragedy. Very sad to see that.

Unfortunately, every tragedy needs a media scapegoat. And you can bet that the media will not point a finger at a grieving parent. Guess what is next on their list.....stuff kids enjoy that conservative adults don't.....video games and certain kinds of music.

It's just a matter of days before the Media gets the interview of the shooter(from the police) and if they see 1 mention of video games, instantly "HURRDURR VIDEO GAMES CAUSE VIOLENCE!!111".

[yjmark]

It's just a matter of days before the Media gets the interview of the shooter(from the police) and if they see 1 mention of video games, instantly "HURRDURR VIDEO GAMES CAUSE VIOLENCE!!111".

Or they find a Marilyn Manson song on his MP3 player. MUSIC MAKES VIOLENCE!!!!!!

/facepalm - it's so lame sometimes.

[Deleted]

Oh this thread again... Just check video below please...

[Puck]

I'm willing to bet that any male nowadays has played a violent video game at one point. At this point, linking and blaming crimes based on "He played a violent video game!" is akin to blaming the crime on the basis that he eats food.

[Ricen]

Seems like the media loves to point out reasons for the madness in todays youth. I keep reading and hearing the finger pointing of violent video games. I think its BS and do not buy into that. My opinion, very simple broken homes and family values.

Oh my lord, I was so scared this was going to be a rant about how video games are bad. Phew... And yes i agree with your statement fully. Its the familes and the home.

[Roose]

Young children should not be allowed to play them, but that goes back to parenting.

People play shooters all over the world. If they were making these people snap we would see shootings like today all over the world.

[phenix]

They've already conducted a lot of studies on this, so far the only conclusion we can come to is: very young kids act a bit more aggressive after playing violent video games.

which shouldn't happen if the parents actually controlled wtf their kids do.


some fucktard in texas carved a pentagram in his 6 year old son's back because he thought 12-12-12 was a 'holy day'.

[Tradewind]

I've been playing violent video games since I was old enough to hold a controller (well varying degrees of violence)...I was 9 when Mortal Kombat came out and played the non-green blood version of it etc...and aside from being an asshole, I'm not a mass murdering sociopathic drug addled shitstain.

/anecdote off, I think I just dated myself too for the first time.

[KDSwain]

I'm old enough to have been a kid BEFORE video games (unless you count Pong). We played violent shooter games every day, they were called cap guns.

[Volitar]

It's a straw man argument. Anyone who actually believes that is dumb.

[Tradewind]

Yeah I'm a pretty passive guy and I grew up with violent video games. I played Duke Nukem with my dad. He tried to reduce my exposure to violent video games once I was like 12 years old, but by then it's too late and kind of pointless.

Anyways I played violent video games my whole life, so did most of my friends, and we all turned out fine. In fact most of the fucktards I know that are in prison/jail for being violent fuckwads weren't into video games at all.

Might be on to something there...Maybe violent video games are more of an outlet and more people should play them! Let off some steam by playing some Serious Sam instead of shooting up a convenience store.

[Powerogue]

The shooting in CT is a tragedy. Very sad to see that.

Unfortunately, every tragedy needs a media scapegoat. And you can bet that the media will not point a finger at a grieving parent. Guess what is next on their list.....stuff kids enjoy that conservative adults don't.....video games and certain kinds of music.

Those kids and their [insert relatively new cultural trend]!

It'll keep happening for as long as we look for something to blame.

[Adam Jensen]

Video games do not cause violence. Video games have violence in them, which attracts violent people to them, but they do not cause violence. Normal people are also attracted to video game violence, but they can separate fiction from reality.

I've killed thousands of faceless mooks in dozens of video games. That doesn't mean I'm going to go buy a gun and kill 20 little kids and their teachers for shits and giggles, or open fire in a movie theater at a popular movie screening, or fire a rifle at shoppers at a mall.

If video games caused violence, then there'd be a massive spike in violent crime that directed correlated to the increased number of 12-30 year olds playing Call of Duty or Halo or whatever violent game you want to blame. There is no such correlation.

[Tradewind]

I'd like to interject quickly and mention that Max Payne 3 is gloriously violent and also goddamn amazing...not worth $50 or w/e, but I got it on Black Friday steam sales for half price...worth it.

[Adam Jensen]

Mass Effect 3: I like to get headshots and watch heads explode.
Deus Ex HR: I enjoy watching Adam perform a take down, whether silently or fatally.
Half Life 2: I love using saw blades and the gravity gun to cut zombies in half
Skyrim: I absolutely enjoy the throat slitting animation of ambushing an enemy from stealth and I have a screen shot of my favorite kill, a Forsworn who took an arrow right between both eyes (a perfect shot!)

But that's all fantasy and I would never ever do such things in reality.

[Yunru]

I read somewhere it works another way araund.

Only game that was very violent (but funny) was postal 2.

[Cafe]

It's a straw man argument. Anyone who actually believes that is dumb.

straw man argument? I don't have numbers or case studies but I'm sure if you put life in general to its basics we can point the influences and self development to upbrining within a household and family.

Case in point, look how North Korea is right now and who their number one target is. Even better example, look at some of the Middle Eastern countries. Do you think they love the United States? Do you blame the kids in those countries for hating the U.S.?