Video Games are not Evil!

k12479

WiggyDiggyPoo wrote: »

I'm sure you mean well...

I'm sure you do too, but not very convincingly.

WiggyDiggyPoo wrote: »

Sure some people do bad things, and they might have played videogames before they did them, but truth is they would have always done those things if they wanted to do them.

Just saying something is the truth doesn't make it so. People, particularly in Asia, have killed over missing points or something in computer games. Here's two very recent examples where computer games appear to be the inspiration:
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/game-over-man-allegedly-went-grand-theft-auto-100148277--abc-news-topstories.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/25/us/louisiana-boy-kills-grandmother/index.html
While that's not conclusive proof, how often do you hear of someone killing someone else over, or after a game of chess or scrabble?

WiggyDiggyPoo wrote: »

Religion
Money
Politics
Love
Hate
Greed
Jealousy
George Bush
Traffic
Fear
Hunger
Drugs
Alcohol
Illness

Pretty poor comparison. They are emotions, beliefs or affect normal thought processes. You said video games are a form of entertainment, so compare other forms of entertainment. Violent films attract the same criticism, a game of frisbee, doesn't.

Obviously, the vast majority of people don't turn into killers, but perhaps a wider concern is that computer games are addictive and that probably has detrimental affects on far more people, just like anything addictive.

frugal_mike

k12479 wrote: »

While that's not conclusive proof, how often do you hear of someone killing someone else over, or after a game of scrabble

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/#!/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10391438

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/31282134.html

There's one for each...

As for the quotes about killings over points in Asia, that's because the games they play are addictive, not because they're violent. Anything has the potential to be addictive. Scrabble and chess an be addictive too. The internet just makes it easier to get addicted because it supplies a constant supply of opponents and allows new content to be added to games too make them last effectively forever.

bod1467

Is it that time of year again? (This subject matter comes up at least once a year).

aileth

Child X has a horrible upbringing, ignored by parents, abused, plays GTA. He lashes out and attacks a Teacher. That's obviously GTA's fault and nothing else, right?

This whole thing reeks of scapegoat. I'm sure there are people who are influenced by it, just as there are people who are influenced by violent movies, violent rap songs, but they are really in the minority. If someone has a serious mental disorder and commits a violent act and just so happened to have played GTA a week beforehand, why is it automatically GTA's fault? Then the real problem gets totally ignored because it MUST be the video game.

What about back in the darkest depths of history, before electricity and video games, where violent crime and war was rife? Did they all sit in their huts playing GTA 900AD and then decide to go beat their neighbour with a stick? I don't think so.

Unfortunate as it is, violence is human nature with many causes. Video games are not the root of violence.

Like someone said above, addiction is one of the main problems. There has been cases over Asia where people have played online RPGs, someone ninja loots an item, and the person who it got 'stolen' from has actually tracked the person down and murdered them. But honestly, that's just like if crack addict A steals some crack off crack addict B and crack addict B hunts down crack addict A and kills them. I vaguely remember there being some research done regarding addiction to video games and addiction to drugs and it lighted up the same parts of the brain. That is the real problem.

unholyangel

ThumbRemote wrote: »

Isn't there fairly strong evidence that violent video games desensitize their players to violence? So while they do not directly cause you to do something violent, they can reduce your inhibitions that would otherwise stop you doing something.

If so, your claim that someone would have always done those things if they wanted to do them is not quite true - violent video games could make it more likely that someone already predisposed to violence acts in a violent manner.

Being desensitised to something and being more likely to commit it yourself are two entirely different things. Desensitising does not lower your inhibitions. It just means you don't get as upset/upset at all over it.

I'm desensitised to people who gets drunk as a skunk on a regular basis then they end up falling off a veranda (for example), doesn't mean I'm going to push them over it.

People who are predisposed towards violent behaviour are drawn to violent video games. Its not that the games make them violent.


As for games being evil....well that depends on what your definition of evil is. Being a different religion is "evil" to some. Others would say alcohol is evil. Its subjective and you're never going to be able to be correct when its subjective.

OlliesDad

I can honestly say that I have watched some films/read some books that have been more "evil" than any of the games that I have played.

Nilrem

Of course video games are evil, even Mario has you killing poor defenceless tortoises, the Daily Mail, Mirror and Express keep telling me it's so.

On a more serious note, they're an easy scapegoat.
It's much easier to blame GTA when someone steals a car because it has the option of you stealing a car, than the fact the little scrote would have stolen it anyway.

Likewise it's easier to blame a video game where you shoot people (quite often in very unrealistic fashion), than the fact that you've got easy access to firearms, and in the case of America a massive organisation that refuses to even consider possibly limiting the access to them by mentally disturbed people, or suggesting that people might want to keep their guns out of the reach of kids...

And as has been posted already, it's much easier to blame the video games (makes a change from films in the 90's, and comic books in the 50's for example), than to ask difficult questions about why someone is doing something.
I mean it wouldn't do to suggest that someone being left with a videogame as a baby sitter may not be getting raised properly..
I won't even go into the way video games are rated, and store staff can get prosecuted for selling them to under age buyers, but will also often get abuse from the potential buyer and the parents when they refuse, or how some parents seem to think "it's a video game, it's ok for kids" and ignore the rating* and advice of the store staff "you are aware this has a lot of blood, and swearing?" followed by the complaint a few days later "why did you sell me this filth for my little darling, it's got blood and swearing?".

Most video games work on the basis that you're either fighting evil, or when you're playing the bad guy it's such an over the top or blatant mickey take that it's not realistic (usually closer to Dr Evil than the Wire).

I will however admit that playing racing games before I took driving lessons did make me aware of the importance of selecting the right gear at the right time, and making sure the route was clear...not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy Carmageddon 2 and running around ramming cars and running people over in the game, but I've never had the urge to do it in real life (well apart from the idiots who walk out into the road engrossed in their mobile without looking up**;), and the jokes about 50 points for a traffic warden).

*It's been the same with film ratings for years, especially with stuff like animation where some people see that it's animated and think "it'll be find for my kid" completely ignoring the red rating, then complain to the papers about the fact the "filth" is available to buy and corrupt little Tylor's mind.

**And to be fair, it would probably be improving the gene pool to remove those who are incapable of taking their eyes off their mobile when doing something that is potentially risky (in reality I tend to treat anyone with what appears to be a mobile or headphones on as I would a small child, or dog - basically assume they're going to run into the road without looking and be prepared to stop in a hurry even if they appear to be walking straight ahead on the path).

TheSaint_2

The root cause is usually not the video game, more rather a lack of good upbringing or a psychotic nature. Let's not kid ourselves though, everything we do influences us to some degree. The game can only ever be a factor and I would argue quite a minor one at that.

A game can become a large factor but only in the absence of more stabilising influences, so if a parent let's a child of young age let's say 8 play a violent game rated 18 this is irresponsible and likely promote very poor behaviour in the child. It is the absence of good parenting that is the main factor here though, not the game as it should not have been viewed by the child anyway.

We live in a blame culture, parents need to accept responsibility for their can't be arsed attitude.

Saw a recent one near me.. little 6yr old girl gets run over by a car.. she was playing in the street. Not a culdesac but a busy street. The parent? Too busy watching her free sky tv to give a crap. Of course it wasn't her fault....

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Monkey See


Monkey Does

Mandybham

Me and my boyfriend both play games and we have both lost count of the amount of times we have saved the world which should let us off for the odd stabbing now and again. ^_^