Has videogame violence affected you?

[Tohuvabohu]

I have always thought the argument of videogame violence having the effect of desensitizing people was nonsense. That violence in a videogame can somehow dehumanize us to the point where it cripples our ability to feel empathy. All from a videogame!? This is the kind of effect you'd see from morticians, or graveyard shift ambulance drivers in hells kitchen. But is it really possible that this profound psychological effect can come from a videogame?

It sounds just like another distorted or exaggerated claim on videogames made by morally panicked people who have never touched videogames or have no understanding of them, or probably have never even been exposed to real-life violence themselves.
Violence breeds violence and exposing someone to violence will eventually desensitize them to violence and make them violent people. It is this kind of dead end knee jerk logic that has people jumping to silly conclusions.

I'd like to throw my hat in the ring, but I actually consider myself to be quite desensitized. Although that didn't come from videogames. No, I thank the internet for doing that to me. (Places like YNC and Ogrish in particular)

Actually now that I think about it, that brings me another point. Sometimes, videogame violence can be pretty extreme. But I think even the most extreme videogame violence cannot EVER hold a candle to real life violence. They're not even in the same realm, and I don't think they ever will be.

Even as desensitized as I am, some videogame violence does make me recoil in shock. But it's an enjoyable shock. In games such as Army of Two: 40th Day, Gears of War 2, and RE5, blowing the heads off an enemy is an extremely gruesome event. Especially if I'm standing right in front of the guy and my partner blows his head off. It does make me go something a long the lines of "EEEEUUUGHHHH GODDAMN"

But I am only one gamer and I'm sure others have some things to add about this. So I ask you dear reader, to think critically on your history playing videogames. Have you played them for a long time? Many violent ones? If you have, think really hard on how (if any) this kind of computer generated, albeit interactive, violence has affected you? Has this kind of violence done anything to you at all?

And is there any kind of valid grounds to these claims?

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

It's just stupid argmuents that stuffy politicians like to use in order to make themselves seem like big people's to those who blindly follow their words. Like most of the sheep that watch FOX.

 

[N3vans]

Hasn't affected me, and I almost exclusively play shooters. The violent video games argument is just an easy get-out for the media and politicians who don't want to address larger social issues in society. I've even done a 4000 word essay on what constitutes 'realism/ realisticness' in first person shooters for university.

Basically I concluded that terms like 'ultra-realistic' only apply to games like ARMA II because they're the closest digital approximations to real combat. Although the media almost never picks up on these because they're basically simulators and don't make an interesting topic for a news story. However, they do use the term 'realistic' for games like COD. This is plain wrong because while COD gives a good sense of realism, with real locations/ guns etc, it is by no means realistic. For example: jumping through the air, taking a magazine-full of bullets, hiding for a few seconds curing said bullet wounds then proceding to sprint around the battlefield knifing people.

Also this: http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/Research_News/20110217_gamers.html

 

[Mr Thin]

It's desensitized me alright; violence in video-games has desensitized me to violence... in video-games.

It's certainly much easier for me to kill in video-games than it used to be. But in regards to real life... no. Not even slightly.

I don't even like killing large insects in real life.

 

[Tohuvabohu]

It's just stupid argmuents that stuffy politicians like to use in order to make themselves seem like big people's to those who blindly follow their words. Like most of the sheep that watch FOX.

well, yes. But has there's been any kind of influence on you, personally? Also it seems like a long-lost distant memory but.... In the mid 90's, wasn't there some kind of mass media panic going on similar to this that Television was causing an increase in violence?

Hasn't affected me, and I almost exclusively play shooters. The violent video games argument is just an easy get-out for the media and politicians who don't want to address larger social issues in society. I've even done a 4000 word essay on what constitutes 'realism/ realisticness' in first person shooters for university.

Basically I concluded that terms like 'ultra-realistic' only apply to games like ARMA II because they're the closest digital approximations to real combat. Although the media almost never picks up on these because they're basically simulators and don't make an interesting topic for a news story. However, they do use the term 'realistic' for games like COD. This is plain wrong because while COD gives a good sense of realism, with real locations/ guns etc, it is by no means realistic. For example: jumping through the air, taking a magazine-full of bullets, hiding for a few seconds curing said bullet wounds then proceding to sprint around the battlefield knifing people.

Also this: http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/Research_News/20110217_gamers.html

That's interesting. I do agree with your definitions. It seems like the media tends to attach themselves to any kind of remotely popular game with remotely realistic elements that contains a "controversial" scenario. Such as the No Russian level, which has been utterly beaten to death and is guaranteed to make eyes roll when anyone brings it up. Sure it was an intense scenario, but I personally have witnessed plenty of more profoundly fucked up events in videogames.

That link was a good read too, and it doesn't surprise me at all. It just makes me wonder how people can arrive to such conclusions? Is there ANYONE in existence that has had an influences that the morally panicked media implies?

It's desensitized me alright; violence in video-games has desensitized me to violence... in video-games.

It's certainly much easier for me to kill in video-games than it used to be. But in regards to real life... no. Not even slightly.

I don't even like killing large insects in real life.

Hah, you know that actually makes sense. Even I get skiddish when I have to obliterate a large insect. Thankfully I can always rely on my blowdarts.

 

[Garthoc]

I have been playing games for a very long time, and too be honest I watched alot of violent movies I was far too young for as a child.

As far as effecting me as a person I would say not. I personally dislike the though of violence and fear being the victim of violence much like any other person. however one thing I do think has effected me is the use of games to vent aggression. I have been known to turn on a game, create a new save and go off in a tangent of destruction! there is a kind of relief in livig for a brief moment in time in a world with no concequence and unleashing the dark side...

If you consider this the actions of an affected mind that is your opinion, however I do not start fights with people for no reason out side of bars, I don't think I have ever even started a fight!

so in my case I would say no.

However if you have watched any reality Tv you will know that their are alot of people who's minds are easily affected by what they see and I can imagine that some people just shouldn't play violent games.

I think in the end its a question of is it worth censoring games because of a minority of people it could effect?

in my opinion, No.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

I love violent games. I love shooters, hack 'n' slashers, I like to shout at the TV screen (when no-on is around) and generally be all around aggrressive when playing games, I love the x-ray in the new Mortal combat even though fighting games aren't my thing but the one thing I cannot stand is hurting other people, or even seeing people hurt other people. I do not like to see people in distress or pain and all this goes for animals too.

Sure, I may have been 'desensitized' to violence, but that doesn't mean I have to like it in real life.

EDIT: Though one thing that really got me was in Dead Space 2 involving Stross, Ellie and a certain screwdriver... Other than that I was pretty fine with the game.

 

[Wutaiflea]

To be honest, I don't feel that growing up playing games like Street Fight, Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct has had any kind of desensitizing effect towards violence.

I read some time ago in a counselling journal, that recent studies showed that the type of media children found most distressing was seeing the news, and I agree with that.
I think back to viewing some of the grotesquely graphic images broadcast during the 9/11 attack and still feel disturbed at what I saw, where as performing a Fatality has no such effect.

My mum asked me once, when I was very little, if games were affecting me. I said it was fun to beat people up in games, but not in real life, where I might hurt someone.

The subject never came up again.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

No, I killed people before I played videogames.

 

[Hunter15]

no i don't believe video game violence has affected me (drinks blood out of skull while shoots gun wildly in the air) i'm sorry i have to do that every 12 minutes

 

[cryogeist]

It's desensitized me alright; violence in video-games has desensitized me to violence... in video-games.

It's certainly much easier for me to kill in video-games than it used to be. But in regards to real life... no. Not even slightly.

I don't even like killing large insects in real life.

same here...

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

The thing about that is that there is always a chance for the videogame to affect someone. That doesn't mean that it will, or that they wouldn't suffer the same effects from interacting with other media though. That's the part that amuses me. It's kind of like censorship. Sure, you can sell censored CDs and whatnot, but you'll still hear the uncensored version of the music on the street.

The point is that violence is everywhere in our society. To attribute all of the ill effects that it has on people to one medium of the numerous other ones is rediculous.

That being said, I can appreciate how hard headshots and whatnot must be in person because I went shooting and tried to hit a 12 gauge shotgun shell from about 50 meters away. I hit it on my second shot, but still. Most of the violence in videogames is overdone anyway. Besides, you can turn off the gore in most games if you look hard enough.

 

[acehardy]

this is a senseless topic. I have played games on the Atari where I'm a comboy raping Indian women (bad game on so many levels) and every violent game as a game reviewer and never committed any violent actions, killed, raped or mained anyone. (I know my spelling sucks it's 2 in the morning)

 

[deshorty]

Well...I don't know honestly. If it does desensitize people, it is a slow process, so theoretically, they wouldn't be able to know if they were being desensitized. As for myself, I always think that I am less sensitive than my friends (even the guys) and have been playing violent video games ever since I could, but that could be an inherent trait and there is no proof that it was the video games. Movies are also extremely violent (Kill Bill, Matrix etc). So, I would say that there is no way to find out if video games desensitized me and that based on that, no I have been desensitized.

 

[Titan Buttons]

Well I believed that my train of thought has been desensitising as too weather violance is more useful for a problem but that all went out the window when I actually saw a wonder person bleeding quite seriously, nothing immediately life threatening but she still went to the emergency room, and I was just completely freaked out by it and I've played both dead spacegame, both gears, ever CoD made to date and even the Heavy Rain.
Proving that regaurdless of how violante or bloody or graphic a video game is when it actually happens right in front of you in real life you are not desensitised to it

Edit: Even in government survays, I have a politicians in my family who has done work on this, all of they have either surpported or out right stated that such things can not desensitise the human mind since it isn't physically occuring.

 

[Valdus]

Games haven't made me any more voilent. On the contrary I'd say they've calmed me down.

When I was a kid I had a really bad temper and would fly off the handle at a moment's notice. Then I started playing computer games and they didn't really change me exactly, but it meant my parents had something they could take away if I acted up.

Suffice to say I've since learned better ways of venting my anger than "Rawr Rawr Smashy Smashy".

 

[Tohuvabohu]

I have been playing games for a very long time, and too be honest I watched alot of violent movies I was far too young for as a child.

As far as effecting me as a person I would say not. I personally dislike the though of violence and fear being the victim of violence much like any other person. however one thing I do think has effected me is the use of games to vent aggression. I have been known to turn on a game, create a new save and go off in a tangent of destruction! there is a kind of relief in livig for a brief moment in time in a world with no concequence and unleashing the dark side...

If you consider this the actions of an affected mind that is your opinion, however I do not start fights with people for no reason out side of bars, I don't think I have ever even started a fight!

so in my case I would say no.

However if you have watched any reality Tv you will know that their are alot of people who's minds are easily affected by what they see and I can imagine that some people just shouldn't play violent games.

I think in the end its a question of is it worth censoring games because of a minority of people it could effect?

in my opinion, No.

Sounds reasonable. There have always been those people who are too sensitive to external influences. Although that's an entirely different issue altogether. I too release some of my stress in some videogame destruction. It's literally harmless, and a good way to release stress without bothering anyone.

while I served 6 years as an 0311 in the USMC in afgan and Iraq I use to spend my few off duty hours playing video games... now I have a violent streak and bad nightmares... so obviously video game violence is the culprit

You know, it's really sad how accurately this parallels claims made by media.

 

[N3vans]

That link was a good read too, and it doesn't surprise me at all. It just makes me wonder how people can arrive to such conclusions? Is there ANYONE in existence that has had an influences that the morally panicked media implies?

The only logical way I can see anyone being effected in the ways the media makes out is if they have pre-existing mental conditions as well as long term exposure to violent media, not just games. No matter how many times you fire a gun in a video-game it never compares to the feel and recoil of a real gun and looking someone in the eye before shooting them.

Also, the exact same moral panics have been applied to books and even films in the past, something the vast majority of people would now consider bullshit. It's just part of the natural cycle new media forms go through before acceptance of them is reached.