Boys kill friend using "Mortal kombat" moves

[Jerr Conner]

This doesn't surprise me. I remember when I was a kid I'd place blame on someone else or something else for something I did. Why? Because it detracted from the fact that I did something bad.

Oh TV made me do it, or my sister made me do it, nevermind the fact I chose to break the rules.

[Jerr Conner]

Originally posted by Cerek: quote: Originally posted by Vaskez: A little kid's brain is like a computer program waiting to be written. It's up to the parents to teach the kid right from a young age and control what the kid does/sees until they are old enough to decide for themselves. Sounds like the parents stuffed up BIG TIME in the case of these kids. I'd blame the parents, such young minds are too impressionable so whatever influences they had are to blame.

I see the same arguments whenever a case like this comes up.

The game is innocent.
The kids were messed up already.
The PARENTS are to blame.

Ask yourself this, if there is nothing wrong with the game, then why does the argument always come that "The parents should be aware of - and control - the influences the kids are exposed to."?

That would include preventing them from playing violent video games at too young an age. But if there is nothing wrong with playing violent video games, then why do the parents get blamed for letting the kids play the game in the first place?

The bottom line is that young minds ARE impressionable - and whether you want to admit it or not - video games, movies, TV shows and other common media DO have an influence on those impressionable minds. I'm not saying these things are completely to blame, but it can NOT be denied that they are a contributing factor. Even the psychologist agreed that the game could be considered a "catalyst" for their behavior - but he also said the game itself didn't bear sole responsibility for their actions. [/QUOTE]It's not so much that there's something wrong with the games, IMO, but that parents should teach their kids what's right or wrong, fantasy or real.

I've played a lot of violent video games since I was ten years old. I never felt the urge to re-enact anything in those games. Because of two things.

My parents taught me that doing stuff that adults do on TV or anywhere else (IE Video Games) is dangerous.

Bugs Bunny always said "Don't try this at home kids".

And truthfully, when one wants to avoid responsibility for their actions, they place it on something else. Kids are more than smart enough to do this.

South Park illustrated it best when Butters got a shuriken in his eye after Stan and the boys were playing with weapons. When people were complaining about how a boy had "flashed his penis" on stage, Stan and Kyle ran with the angle that it fragged their little minds and that Cartman should be punished. Sure, it doesn't exactly tie in with Butters's accident, but it sure made the parents forget that anything had actually happened to Butters! Place blame on something else, and your problems go away.

[Bungleau]

It's the same story all over again... something happens, and everyone's looking for someone else to blame. The video game is easy because it doesn't fight back... it doesn't defend itself. And the great unwashed say things like "where did he learn to do that? In MK". The real question should be where did he learn that it was okay to do that to a person... and that's where parents come in to play.

But let's keep the kids in the blame mix, shall we? After all, they're the ones who made this adult decision, even though they're only 13 through 16. Adult decision, adult ramifications. If they got someone pregnant at that age, they'd have to live with it, wouldn't they? Or would someone blame "The Bachelorette", or "The Fifth Wheel"?

It's sad. Tragic. And I would be impressed if the kids stood up to admit what they did and take the punishment, and if their parents acknowledged what *they* did and accepted responsibility.

I'm almost to the point of saying that if you don't want to accept responsibility for your children, give them up for adoption. Release all your legal rights and obligations as a parent, admit that you were a failure as a parent, and move on to something else. Just don't try to duck the issue.

[Ziroc]

Oh god.. I thought he pulled his spine out and held it out for all to see.

Seriously though. Person is at fault and Nuts. Games are not to blame.

And god, come on, MK is so 90's.

[ 03-04-2005, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: Ziroc ]

[Jerr Conner]

Lol yea! Couldn't they have the decency to imitate a more recent game?

[Luvian]

Originally posted by Cerek: quote: Originally posted by Vaskez: A little kid's brain is like a computer program waiting to be written. It's up to the parents to teach the kid right from a young age and control what the kid does/sees until they are old enough to decide for themselves. Sounds like the parents stuffed up BIG TIME in the case of these kids. I'd blame the parents, such young minds are too impressionable so whatever influences they had are to blame.

I see the same arguments whenever a case like this comes up.

The game is innocent.
The kids were messed up already.
The PARENTS are to blame.

Ask yourself this, if there is nothing wrong with the game, then why does the argument always come that "The parents should be aware of - and control - the influences the kids are exposed to."?

That would include preventing them from playing violent video games at too young an age. But if there is nothing wrong with playing violent video games, then why do the parents get blamed for letting the kids play the game in the first place?

The bottom line is that young minds ARE impressionable - and whether you want to admit it or not - video games, movies, TV shows and other common media DO have an influence on those impressionable minds. I'm not saying these things are completely to blame, but it can NOT be denied that they are a contributing factor. Even the psychologist agreed that the game could be considered a "catalyst" for their behavior - but he also said the game itself didn't bear sole responsibility for their actions. [/QUOTE]I've been playing video games since before I ever went to school. Did I ever kill anyone? No. Why? Because my parent thought me to differenciate between what is right and wrong, acceptable and not.

I put the blame on the parents. They failed to teach morals to their childrens.

It's not important where one learn how to hurt others. Look at your country, lots of people go to the army at one time or another. Does those people use their fighting skills with impunity on anyone? No, because they know it's not right.

If a soldier was to go nut and kill an innocent, would people ask for the army to be disbanded because it "influence" people to be viloent and can be a "catalyst"?

What about martial arts? Should we ban them too? Action Movies, novels... What else?

[Jerr Conner]

Good points Luvian.

[Harkoliar]

there are so many variables that comes into play here. the end result is this. nice big stupidity

[blu]

Stop blaming video games for kids problems, I grew up playing Mortal Kombat 1 with the blood code on and I turned out fine *(@&^#@^!(#)!&@!! LOl

[Vaskez]

Originally posted by Cerek: quote: Originally posted by Vaskez: A little kid's brain is like a computer program waiting to be written. It's up to the parents to teach the kid right from a young age and control what the kid does/sees until they are old enough to decide for themselves. Sounds like the parents stuffed up BIG TIME in the case of these kids. I'd blame the parents, such young minds are too impressionable so whatever influences they had are to blame.

I see the same arguments whenever a case like this comes up.

The game is innocent.
The kids were messed up already.
The PARENTS are to blame.

Ask yourself this, if there is nothing wrong with the game, then why does the argument always come that "The parents should be aware of - and control - the influences the kids are exposed to."?

That would include preventing them from playing violent video games at too young an age. But if there is nothing wrong with playing violent video games, then why do the parents get blamed for letting the kids play the game in the first place?

The bottom line is that young minds ARE impressionable - and whether you want to admit it or not - video games, movies, TV shows and other common media DO have an influence on those impressionable minds. I'm not saying these things are completely to blame, but it can NOT be denied that they are a contributing factor. Even the psychologist agreed that the game could be considered a "catalyst" for their behavior - but he also said the game itself didn't bear sole responsibility for their actions. [/QUOTE]Fair points, but I think you missed the point of my argument. OF COURSE the young impressionable minds are influenced by the violence in games and TV etc. THAT'S WHY parents need to control what they see OR if they can't do that, then offset it with the teaching and imprinting of proper values STRONGER than the impression left by the entertainment. Case in point: I've been listening to music explicit about drugs, guns, violence, sex etc. since a young impressionable age, but it's never affected me in any major negative way: DESPITE liking the beats and rhymes, I've always condemned the messages in those songs and not taken them seriously because my parents imprinted in me a, what most will call, correct set of values. THAT'S why I'm saying it's on the parents. I didn't realise until I grew up, just how much influence parents have, even if it's subliminally.