Video game violence

[Xen]

VIDEO GAME VIOLENCE Violent video games look likely to be labelled with clearer warnings after growing concerns about their impact on children's behaviour. Ministers are holding a summit with manufacturers, retailers and experts this week to discuss how to tighten the rules governing sales. Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said it was important games with high levels of violence are not sold to children. She said Britain operated one of the toughest classification systems in Europe - but stressed that some parents were not aware of it. "In the run-up to Christmas we have to make sure these classifications are very visible to people," she said. "If you buy a computer game you should have a look at the classification. "I think that computer games are relatively new and most of us did not grow up with them." Games sales are expected to reach a record 10 million this month, with about one-in-12 aimed at over 18-year-olds. Anyone convicted of selling an adult game to a child faces a fine of up to £5,000 or a prison term of up to six months or both.

Here's the link.

[ 12-09-2004, 01:57 PM: Message edited by: Xen ]

[SomeGuy]

More with this idiotic violent video game crap! WHO EVEN PLAYED MANHUNT!?! The day I heard about the kid who killed someone and it got linked with Manhunt, I ask people at my school if they played. A majority of them didn't, and those that did said "Dude, that game sucked balls. I wish I'd used my money on something else." All this hype over a crappy video game.. and then they get fined for selling these to children? What about the parents? If the parents give consent on it will they get fined? It's stupid. I play violent video games all the time, still haven't been urged to kill someone with a shotgun/freeze gun because I did it in Painkiller. Idiots.

[ 12-08-2004, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: Ziroc ]

[Blunderbuss]

I agree with your view, but I wouldn't have such an arrogant attitude towards it. Yes it is unfair to lay the blame of deaths on video games. However, that argument 'I have played video games. I haven't killed anyone,' isn't a particularly good argument as, clearly, some people will be more succeptible to taking in what they see on a computer screen then others. However, this doesn't excuse them from murdering. If someone murders because of a computer game, you have to believe that it was always going to happen.

[Cerek]

It's also been proven conclusively that children DO "copy" behavior they see on games and TV. That is how young children learn - by copying others.

I saw an experiment done with a kindergarten class a few years ago. One day, the class watched a Barney video. After the video, the kids were given "free time" to play. They "played Barney". They worked together, helped each other, shared toys, etc. The next day they watched a Power Ranger video. During "free time" the kids were "karate fighting" each other and even continued that activity the next morning at the start of class.

I agree that you can't lay the blame entirely on video games and TV shows, but today's generation has grown up on video games with lots of excessive violence in them. And they don't have to go to the arcade and pay a quarter per game like I did. Nope. They have these games on their Playstations and X-box right there at home and can play them as often as they like.

When you are subjected to that much violence on a regular basis, you do become "desensitized" to it. Just look at the newer games if you don't believe me. They have more realistic violence, bigger guns and explosions, etc.

Again, this isn't the sole factor contributing to violence in teens and young adults today, but it can't be denied that it is a contributing factor.

[johnny]

What's the difference between todays games and watching TV ? Watch the news for a few minutes and you'll see more violence than in all games together. Games are merely a reflection of our modern day society.

[aleph_null1]

But how many kids, johnny, ever watch the news?

That there's violence everywhere I don't deny. I only wonder if it can (or should) be limited in those vectors most likely to affect children ...

[johnny]

Originally posted by aleph_null1: But how many kids, johnny, ever watch the news? That there's violence everywhere I don't deny. I only wonder if it can (or should) be limited in those vectors most likely to affect children ...

You'll be surprised how many kids watch the news. But it's not just the news, just turn on your TV and there's misery on every channel, not to mention all the violence brought in movies, or even cartoons.

This subject is a fascinating one as it has roots in both objective fact and popular hysteria.
There is ample proof that we are affected by what we see and hear via music, television and games. Advertising agencies make billions of dollars because of this, and if there wasn't a hard correlation between the advertising and the revenue generated from it, this wouldn't be such a lucrative business. Burn patients at Harborview Burn center here in Seattle use virtual reality for pain management during burn treatments, and it's showing a significant reduction in the amount of pain they experience during the ablation procedures.
There is no question that we are affected by our experiences, but there is a lot of question as to the magnitude of the effects, and what the correlation is...
A significant amount of noise is generated by people who have a high level of concern coupled with a low level of understanding, and these are most often the people that get the press. There are disturbed people who play video games and commit crimes. These same people watch television, listen to the radio, read the paper, and have myriad other interactions that have an effect on their state of mind.
It would be refreshing to see an in-depth study of the cause and effect associated with this particular media, especially on those who are previously unbalanced.

[John D Harris]

This reminds me of the old arguement agianst D&D, about how playing the game would make people go into the dark side. We had one player, in our old college D&D group (back in the stoneage) that would get personally upset if something happened to his character. He was the same type of person that would get upset if anything happened playing Gin, or any other game. It's not the game it's the person. Lots of people look to outside forces to give them happiness/contentment/meaning in their lives, when each of us has that power within ourselves. It's Our lives, we are in control.

[Sigmar]

There are more important things in the world that people need to fix, rather than the silly little matter of video game violence.

It's been the scapegoat for far too long as it is, how about parents actually do their "jobs" and raise their kids right, hmm?