Thoughts on video games and violence

[Tilaron]

I'm fine playing violent video games but when I play FIFA the most unviolent game I have I go batshit crazy at times and two or three controllers have ended up dead and in pieces because of it

 

LOL! This is me playing Gran Turismo, as soon as it gets difficult I become a hulking ragemonster and all I want to do is break things.

 

Keep violent games, ban non-violent games!!

[SirMonti]

I didn't know what to put, so I just put "in between". Some studies say there's a correlation, some say there's not even that. But as we all know, correlation != causation, so that's not really a thing. It says more about the people playing the games than the games themselves.

I think that in some demographics and in some areas, violent video games could conceivably dull people's senses to violence, but having gone about and shot up hundreds of people in Borderlands 2 and Bioshock Infinite with all the gore turned on, etc... it's not really affected my judgement or mindset in any negative way. I don't get an urge to go and snap someone's neck just because a fictional character did it when I pressed a button.

 

People are far more likely to be violent if they're exposed to truly traumatic events and environments, like abuse, bereavement, war, gang violence, etc. If video games really do have a negative effect, it's likely a drop in the barrel. But from my own personal experience, it's much more effective at the opposite - it's a stress reliever, it's like therapy, it makes me feel better. Doesn't turn me into a psychopath.

 

If video games turn you into a psychopath, there's something screwed up with you, not the game, because it shows a serious lack of distinction between what is real and what is not, and you probably need to be in a psychiatric ward anyway/

it is so important to understand that a correlation or link doesn't mean that this is the cause of that. and looking at many studies, both for and against, many stated that video games may be one of many factors towards aggression.

[as96]

Yes and no, they have the same effect as violent movies, if someone is conditionable and mentally unstable may become violent toward other people after seeing/playing something but for everyone else no.

 

In the end my answer is no, there's no actual link beside people who are already unstable.

[KemoKa]

I heard a quote somewhere, I think by Richard Feynman, talking about people and TV. Basically what it boils down to is, there are a lot of reports and stories going around that the stuff that is on TV today is making people stupid. But what if... people were just stupid, and they watch that crap on TV because they're stupid?

I think the same applies - sort of - to violent video games. Many people just play them for fun, like us. But some think they turn people violent by their nature. My feeling is that the people who turn violent from video games and go shoot up their schools were already violent and had violent tendencies with or without the games. And that's regardless of whether they show signs of violent thoughts and tendencies, because many don't show any, ever, until something sets them off.

Oh, and then we get the shitstorm of parents, friends and neighbours going "oh, no, our Bobby is a good boy, he's a very good boy, he'd never do that... well because I know him, I'm his mother! do you think I don't know my own child?" "He always seemed like such a nice kid, I never thought he could do something like this."

 

Parents don't know jack shit about their kids. Some can be so naive when it comes to looking for and noticing signs of violent behaviours and attitudes. Stuff like that just flies straight over their heads.

 

And it doesn't have to be a war game or an FPS, it can any video game that can invoke rage and anger by any means, whether by taunts or just the "you lose" at the end.

In my mind, video games aren't the problem. It shouldn't be "keep violent video games away from kids", it should be "keep violent kids away from video games."

[The Cool n00B]

How do you know?

rip

[Inkz]

The problem is people are always quick to confuse causation with correlation.

[Shakaza]

-foxsnip-

I mostly agree with your post, except there's one little thing I want to point out about it. Just because games don't have an effect on you doesn't necessarily mean that applies to everyone. But that's the only complaint I have, and everything else is more or less in line with what I've observed and discovered over the years.

[KemoKa]

I mostly agree with your post, except there's one little thing I want to point out about it. Just because games don't have an effect on you doesn't necessarily mean that applies to everyone. But that's the only complaint I have, and everything else is more or less in line with what I've observed and discovered over the years.

Oh, I know, and I didn't mean for that to be the end-all, be-all conclusion. It's just that other than surveys and observations from my own experience, I have no reference for the correlation between video games and violent behaviour. I like to think of myself as pretty average, I'm not strong, but I'm not particularly weak-minded and I don't have any tendencies towards violence. I realize people are different and react differently to different things, but for the average normal, level-headed person, I can't think of anything in the visual content of violent video games that would provoke any feeling more extreme than mild disgust, and even that is mostly from more conservative individuals from a previous generation. Most highly-negative reactions I've gauged come from middle-aged, white parents who neither understand nor have read anything about the subject. All they see is violence setting an unfavourable example for children. Which is understandable, I suppose, that's how they were brought up. There's no concept of the difference between correlation and causation. But I digress.

 

Not trying to establish myself as an absolute baseline, but I don't have much else to use. Not unless I go and run a survey which, as I've learned from statistics class, is unreliable, inefficient and mostly pointless.

[Shakaza]

-secondfoxsnip-

Thank you. You explained you point adequately and that complaint I had is completely cleared up. 

[GoldSrc]

The problem is in old people, old people who can't comprehend that a violent person will make violent acts regardless if they play video games or not.

Video games don't turn people violent.

[Misanthrope]

Here are the things I like people claim make me violent

 

1) Metal music

2) Video games

3) Atheism

4) Violent films

 

Here are the things that actually make me violent

 

1) People claiming 1 through 4

 

[/thread]

[Guest]

I'm never violent but if anything lag is what pisses me off while playing games

[Touché! Good Sir]

Nothing makes me violent except misinformed jerks and dickheaded people....

Well thinking about them caused me to swear..........