Hey guys,

I'm working on my next article for a local newspaper and I need some opinions.

With the release of GTA IV, the "video games lead to violence" debate has been renewed and I'm writing an editorial/article in favor of the video games.

What I need are just some personal thoughts on the video game/violence link. Either for it or against it. The news is filled with these so-called "experts" and most of them are well over 30 and have probably never played a game in their life. I get tired of hearing how events such as the Va Tech shooting and Columbine are blamed on games and used to further political agendas.

So any help with this subject would be grealy appreciated.

Well, I, for one, resent your 'Over 30 and never played a video game' comment. At 31, I've played many many many games, and my older brothers have, as well! =P

But on topic: I think there may be a link, but not the link that Jack Thompson would have you believe. He would have you believe that violent video games cause violent tendancies. I believe, it is, in fact, the other way around. People with violent tendancies are attracted to violent video games. Normal people are also attracted to these games, and play them without incident. It's too easy after the fact to make the 'violent person played violent games' link.

It's kinda like reading the prophecies of Nostradamus. You can't predict the future with them, but you can look back at them and make a case for parts of them perhaps referring to things that have already happened. That doesn't mean that Nostradamus predicted the future.

Just because a mass murderer played Grand Theft Auto doesn't mean that Grand Theft Auto made him into a mass murderer. It means he was probably going to be a mass murderer anyway, and happened to play a game that let him act out some of those tendancies.

I don't buy the 'desensitized' thing, either. I've seen plenty of gore in games, but if I came across someone who'd been turned inside out in real life, my video game experience would not allow me to shrug it off.

I'm a very peaceful person in real life. In video games, I'm a stone-cold killer. =P

quote:

Originally posted by RadicalX:
Well, I, for one, resent your 'Over 30 and never played a video game' comment. At 31, I've played many many many games, and my older brothers have, as well! =P

Funny, but you know what I meant. But for others, just so there is no confusion, I was referring to the "experts" the media always seems to have on hand and who get paid for their bashing of video games.

Columbine and VA Tech were the works of people with untreated, very severe mental illness, for whom others tried to get help but were thwarted in their efforts by laws set up by idiot politicians who were more concerned about kissing the butt of people who want to buy M16's without checks *for* things like priors and aforementioned severe mental illness.

In other words... Yeah. If you're violent like that, as it's been said, you tend to go FOR the violent video games. Your brain chemistry isn't automatically changed around to make you psychotic or uber-violent or anti-social if you pick up a controller and mess with Doom or GTA for a few hours. If these games were that powerful, there'd be an assload more serial killers and mass murderers running around out there than there are. The math don't work like that, holmes.

Here's an interesting spot from G4 on the subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WwJC9MaWIA

I am a gamer who is a few years over 30 with a 6 year old daughter who likes to watch. I am almost an exclusive RPG style gamer. While the games include fighting it is nothing on the level of the so called "fighting games".

Even growing up around video games (my current being Oblivion for the PS3 and Morrowind for the PC), I do not see any violent tendancies in Genna. She is a very empathic little girl.

I am not one to blame media for violence, but I think cartoons are just a violent if not more than video games. It is up to the parent's to teach their children between reality and fantasy. Which is where the real problem lies. At least in my opinion...

The nail has been hit on the head squarely.

Parents of this kind refuse to take any responsibility, blame video games, the government, music, TV, Michael Landon's secretary, anything they can get away with to explain why their child is the way they are... except the TRUTH.

I grew up with video games. I discovered Nintendo at 6 and got my own at 7. Anybody who half knows me will tell you I'm a HUGE gamer. I was watching "violent" shows even before that. Yet I'm a very easy going, peaceful person who has no want of war or weapons. I know Karate and a few other forms of fighting, but I reserve it ONLY as the VERY LAST resort or if I am forced to defend myself or someone I love/care about from deadly harm.

Gee, I wonder how that happened? Maybe because I had parents who taught me right from wrong, and why certain situations are handled in different ways. Who weren't afraid to correct me when I was wrong, and showed me the benefits of doing something simply because it was the right thing to do.

Good Parenting.
Common Sense.
Responsibility.

They are going the way of the dodo, friends.

Oh no, please don't put that article out, because idiot politicians will possibly ban us from having them. That would be aweful too.

While some video games have violence, it has some therapeutic tools & also has prevented violence in some ways.

For those people who want action & a way of blowing off their steam, video games provide a place for them to engage in such antics which doesn't result in the loss of real life & destruction.

For example; if one wishes to go out on a shooting rampage, video games are a haven where the person can do that without endangering somebody and/or getting in trouble. When one is filled with anger to the point where it leads to them getting violent, video games is a way to release that anger.

It has done that for me & many others whom I know. I've hung with gun-toting gangstas in my time & seen how video games kept them from going out & doing drive-bys, robberies, etc. When they were playing the video games, they wouldn't feel like doing whatever afterwards.

As KBL mentions, I maybe agree with him on the fact that all people are different. While video games may do well for some people, it could also fuel & pump them up for violence, which means that they're minds are fragile to the point where they can't handle them. It's the same way as people who can't watch certain movies, TV shows, & listen to certain types of music.

I somewhat agree & I have my own opinion at the same time.