A reversed theory about violent videogames.

[Magnaflame]

The general consensus by everyone important is that violent videogames make people violent, correct? It's seems like a sound theory right? Well isn't it much more likely that violent people play violent videogames instead? Think about it, instead of sating your insane thirst for blood again and leaving more evidence, you play a violent videogame. Killing fake people as a normal person wouldn't make you more aggressive, it doesn't make sense, but an insane person killing fake people might have thoughts, or ideas, they might want to kill more. Mull this over, argue, I'll be back.

 

[bad rider]

This comes up alot, there are few if any theorys that don't have an alternative hypothesis. Thats why nothing is ever really accepted as fact.

 

[Sewblon]

I heard that Violent offenders take in less media, video games included, than the rest of the population.

 

[Mray3460]

I've used these exact words at least three times on the Escapist, so I'm just going to quote myself.

*Sigh* I'll say what I said at my philosophy club meeting, and have posted here previously "I'm incredably tired of people saying that video games cause violence (or misbehavior or rebeliousness or any number of other things) because kids (or someone else) played a violent game for 130 hours a week, and then went out on a killing spree/started misbehaving/ect.. Guess what people, if you're playing a violent video game for 130 hours a week, you're already screwed up."

Why this doesn't occur to people in power just doesn't occur to me.

 

[Magnaflame]

Really? Well, I didn't have anything to base this on, I was just thinking, someone's probably going to come in here and gimme a wall o' text about how dumb I am and of course this isn't true.

And Mray, that's funny.

 

[DethFan666]

The general consensus by everyone important is that violent videogames make people violent, correct? It's seems like a sound theory right? Well isn't it much more likely that violent people play violent videogames instead? Think about it, instead of sating your insane thirst for blood again and leaving more evidence, you play a violent videogame. Killing fake people as a normal person wouldn't make you more aggressive, it doesn't make sense, but an insane person killing fake people might have thoughts, or ideas, they might want to kill more. Mull this over, argue, I'll be back.

Your statement makes me happy to know that. Not everyone is on a witch hunt for violent video games.

 

[Magnaflame]

Yeah, I will shoot someone up in a videogame, I will land a plane on someone and that's fun, but I don't want to kill someone, I don't have a health bar, getting shot hurts, and going to jail isn't just a quick black screen followed by you standing outside the police station *couchGTAcough*

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

This is an excellent point, and has actually been debated over, but the conservative legislation of just about everywhere rules in favor of games making people violent when they only have to scratch the surface of the issue to see that violent crimes have gone down since the release of Pong. So, if anything, they help by relieving tension.

 

[Magnaflame]

Yeah, Pong is all about hitting stuff with bats, it's suuuuuuuuper violent.

end sarcasm

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

Yeah, Pong is all about hitting stuff with bats, it's suuuuuuuuper violent.

end sarcasm

You're funny. No sarcasm. I just meant since the introduction of video games. I bet you already knew that.

 

[Magnaflame]

Oh, I knew, your mention of pong just made me think of that.

 

[fluffylandmine]

Yeah, Pong is all about hitting stuff with bats, it's suuuuuuuuper violent.

end sarcasm

[Jack Thompson impression] Pong is a violent, barbaric simulation of two children thowing about a smaller child as if he were a ragdoll! [/jack thompson impression]

 

[Magnaflame]

Oh god, that's gold.

 

[PirateKing]

I'd say games are like stressballs of the new millenium. I can say though, killing fake people isn't enough to satisfy me anymore...I mean, killing fake people is totally enough.
I remember an article that I read/heard my mom talk about, from the paper around when Halo 2 came out. I think it was a priest or something, thinking about it now kind of disturbs me, but he said that games like these are training us to fight the future evils of the world...so does the clergy have some sort of info that the're not letting us in on? Do they know about an impending alien attack or something?

 

[Shade Jackrabbit]

I remember an article that I read/heard my mom talk about, from the paper around when Halo 2 came out. I think it was a priest or something, thinking about it now kind of disturbs me, but he said that games like these are training us to fight the future evils of the world...so does the clergy have some sort of info that the're not letting us in on? Do they know about an impending alien attack or something?

Yeah, don't let anyone know, but the next Antichrist is from mars.

 

[Jandau]

Violent games have no direct effect of behaviour of individuals. However, they can be a trigger for a greater problem, such as a lack underlying mental stability. In this case if it wasn't GTA, it'd be the evening news, or the guy honking his horn in the morning traffic.

As for the kids, while I agree that some games are unsuitable for children (as are some movies and shows), the greater majority of games has no ill effects. Problems whose cause is usually attributed to gaming are mostly a symptom of bad parenting, neglect and faliure to teach the child basic values.

Basically, gaming is often victim of witch hunts that just avoid the real issues...

 

[falcontwin]

How about the question of why someone who see's themselves as a well adjusted normal person who is not influenced at all by violence feels the need to be able to act out the most graphic realistic violent scenes they can imagine? I don't see the issue as whether or not something is appropriate it's more a question of why would you want to do that?

You want to be able to evicerate a person? the ratings board says no. You say I am well adjusted and an adult I should be able to tourture someone slowly and painfully in a simulated environment. I say what is going on in your head that you want to be able to torture a person to death simulated or not?.

Censorship of ideals is bad. but censoring simulated snuff films probably isn't all that bad really.

 

[Madaxeman101]

if somebody is retarded enough to be influenced by a video game and cant tell the virtual world from the real then they deserve to be in prison