Jimquisition: Desensitized to Violence

[SonOfVoorhees]

As for violence, even video footage of violence doesnt compare to actual violence seen with ones own eyes. Ok that guy shooting himself was bad, but seeing that in real life....as in you were there to see it face to face in front of you. So much worse. Ive seen the aftermath of someone who was hit by a train, and seriously, no game ever made will ever compete with how fucked up that made me feel.

 

[Roofstone]

Well.. I really expected it to look worse, but at the same time I.. Well, now I've seen that. I didn't like.

On a lighter note: What is the game that started at around 3:05? It looks awesome!

 

[WildFire15]

That really is disturbing. I've been unfortunate enough to be in the same room as some idiot who found and was playing a video of a man who was captured by terrorists and beheaded online. That really disturbed me, despite the fact it wasn't done in a single wide swing with blood gushing out like a Tarantino film.

As CyborgGinger pointed out, we've not really become desensitized to violence. Hell, we're more sensitive to it. Hangings, beheadings and burnings at the sake were public events only a few hundred years ago and people went to early Grand Prix to see crashes that resulted in some pretty horrible deaths.

I'm a massive fan of motor racing and I've seen some of these horrible deaths in documentaries about the sport's safety and every time I was disturbed (Formula 1: The Killer Years by the BBC is an interesting insight to how attitudes have changed). I was even present at a British Superbike round when a young rider in a support race sadly lost his life in a same accident to MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, an incident that resulted in the race being cancelled. I played Carmaggeddon when it came out in the 90s as a teen and I've spent plenty of time on GTA games yet these events still shock and sadden me.

It's a shame there's so many idiots who seem to think a person pushing a buzzer a little bit longer means they're a danger to society, especially when said idiots are the ones with the most influence.

 

[Malisteen]

The casual, gratuitous, ubiquitous violence in video games doesn't have to directly cause real world violence, or desensitize players to it, for it to be worthy of some amount of criticism. Video Games are an artistic medium, there's a lot more to human experience that they can explore. this is less a criticism of the game creators and more one of the gaming audience that seems to want to be sold the same experience over and over rather than experience anything new.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Well said Jim.

I remember seeing a clip of the guy who beheaded by the Taliban. For a few days, every time I closed my eyes, the image and the sounds of that clip haunted me.

Real violence, real gruesome violence, seeing someone killed, has never been similar to video game violence.

Ever.

 

[themilo504]

Was hoping you would talk about the video game burnings still really liked this episode.

 

[Ukomba]

Skipped it. :/ Good argument though.

 

[GoddyofAus]

Jim, while I ultimately respect this video because it was very well done and hit the nail on the head, the only point I would make would be that the sort of audience that a website like the Escapist attracts, mostly the regular internet user who knows their way around and has plenty of experience with it, all of us already know the Mainstream Media are scum and are truly to blame for this. You're preaching to the choir there. Your video needs the sort of exposure that virality provides.

Could I suggest that you upload this video to Youtube, just to give it a chance at a broader audience.

 

[MrCollins]

While I agree that true actual violence does not resemble in the slightest the over-the-top cartoon-ish spectacle of violence in games and most media. I must admit that the clip did not really get a strong reaction out of me, I had seen it the last time Jim showed it and don't recall it getting much of a reaction out of me then.
But then again, despite not being moved by seeing real life violence on screen (curiosity and the internet can be a *****), I am still extremely averse to real life violence, despite hobbies that include karate and Medieval Re-enactment.

 

[C117]

Hello. I'm a 20 year old male. I've played videogames ever since I was 4 years old at least. Got my first GameBoy in 1998. Played a lot of TimeSplitters 2 when I was 11 years old. Needless to say, I've killed more virtual people than I can count, in any way imaginable.

I came to the Escapist today. Noticed the age control on the video. Saw the warning in the description. I skipped ahead. I knew didn't want to see this. Didn't skip ahead enough. Got to see and hear the last 2 seconds or so.

I am scared.

 

[Your once and future Fanboy]

Not to seem like a monster. But I wasn't faced by the clip.
Then again I think suffering is grusome and hard to watch. Death (in this maner at least) is quick and (as far as I know) painless.

 

[Wolf Hagen]

Dammit Jim, you made the weirdest, but actually build on concrete Argument one can have. We feel in a definate negative way about it.

I am quite used to some stuff on this show but woooaaah. that... rather "calm" incident gave me the chills, how calm and peacefull the guy looked. before and afterwards.

Yep.... good thing you where able to put it on here.

But I gotto say I don't find guns creepy, I find Idiots and Psychopaths with guns creepy. But same could be said about welding tools and the same persons. O__o

 

[roushutsu]

I took a college class on TV and pop culture, and one of the days was about the evolution of news. We talked about and watched violent footage from the Vietnam War that was broadcast on the news and it disturbed me then. This was the first time I've seen this footage, let alone even heard of Budd Dwyer, and it disturbed me now.

You make an excellent point about the difference between real and virtual violence. Kudos!

 

[Ukomba]

The end makes me think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezlFNTGWv4

It's the same principle that caused more and more people to run onto the field during sports games. When they cut all coverage of those people during broadcasts, the number of incidence dropped precipitously.

 

[taciturnCandid]

I honestly will say that didn't shock me, but it wasn't videogames that did that.

Nah. It was r/WTF and 4chan that desensitized me to things like that presented over video. However, any real sign of blood, gore, or death around me and i'll panic.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Jim, while I ultimately respect this video because it was very well done and hit the nail on the head, the only point I would make would be that the sort of audience that a website like the Escapist attracts, mostly the regular internet user who knows their way around and has plenty of experience with it, all of us already know the Mainstream Media are scum and are truly to blame for this. You're preaching to the choir there. Your video needs the sort of exposure that virality provides.

Could I suggest that you upload this video to Youtube, just to give it a chance at a broader audience.

The Escapist also has a YouTube channel, so yes, this will show up there next week.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I didn't really find it all that disturbing or shocking, mostly because your warning played it up so much that I was expecting something much more graphic.

I was worried about this. I underplayed it last time for that very reason and people got upset at me, so I figured it far more prudent to err on the side of playing it up than playing it down. For most, it still seems to have retained its effect, so I'm happy with the decision.

All things considered, it probably was the wisest choice. After all you're point is still very clear. I still didn't find the suicide very amusing in the slightest. It's like watching news footage of the wars in the middle east and whatever. That's not at all entertaining or funny or amusing.

 

[jokulhaups]

No warning or timestamp for the Willem Dafoe scene at the end. Sterling's been desensitized to Dafoe.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

I skipped that bit, but I saw the last few seconds and... oh, why did the cameraman zoom in?! Total Biscuit did a video similar to this one, and I agree with you both on all points. Screw the people that pin this on games, then go "tonight at 11, a bajillion murder cases that drive up our ratings." We need a better media, we need to stop pinning tragedies on stupid causes, but most of all, we need to talk about mental health and weapon control.