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Well not just games but by most forms of media, for example games, movies, television, music and books. To a certain degree it can be, some encourage violence in games or through lyrics in songs. Children are very easily lead astray and can see some games, films, artists as role models and want to be just like them, do as they do so to speak.
Lets take games first.
There are many games that encourage violence and most of these have a 15 or 18 rating to prevent young children from playing them. Still this dosn't totally stop the problem as many parents still buy thses type of games as well they are only "games" they can't be that bad. Such games like GTA, silent hill, doom first showed that games can also be unsuitable for children and since then alot more have appeared. This is a genre that is becoming more and more popular with games like GTA3, silent hill2, resident evil code veronica and many more due for release. Graphically games are improving very quickly and get close to looking like tv or real life. This is why games need to be taken more seriously as they can be just as harmful if not more than films. With games the user controls what happens, who to kill, what to shoot that kind of thing. Not the kind of actions that you want young children to play.
So what about films. Films seem to get away with anything and again films that aren't suitable for children get a 15 or 18 certificate, parents seem to stick to these as some films contain alot of gore and scenes not for young eyes. Still alot of children see watching an 18 films as a kind of thrill, trying to sneek past parents without them knowing what you are up to, but some films may cause children to do violent things or some may scare and frighten them for some time.
Music and particlarly artists like Marylin Manson and Eminem have been in the news alot about there lyrics and what effects they could have on children. Personaly I can't stand Marylin Manson and can't see why anyone enjoys his music. Alot of his lyrics involve suicide and killing people which some people could take too serious. There was a tv program on about people who killed themselves after listening to his songs and others who murdered someone after listening to his songs. I quite like Eminem and think he gets a fair amount of undeserved hasstle from the media. People can write songs about what ever they want and they can have many meanings. People shouldn't take what the lyrics mean too serious, that seems to be where the problem is.
Again some music CD's have a Parental Advisory sticker. Children can still buy it but some parents may not wish their child to listen to it.
Finaly television, it is ilegal to broadcast a program unsuitable for children before 9pm (the watershed) after that you can show just about anything you want (as channel 5 showed us) again it all comes down to parents making sure their child dosn't let their child watch something they find unsuitable. Some programs are cut, this removes bad language and violent gorey scenes.
Without all these life would probably be very boring but would violence disappear? I don't think it would. As fighting and wars happened before most of these were around. I personaly think that although some of these forms of media do encourage violence most of the time people are educated enought to be able to tell right from wrong and to know not to copy what they have seen. The small percentage that do wrong and blame some form of media are the ones whos parents haven't been careful enought to monitor what they watch or play.
I think a large part of the responsibility lies with the parents, they shouldn't allow their child to view or play such material but they do. Take some of the shootings in America, parents are trying to sue some game developers and webpages. I find this wrong as if the games were to violent then they shouldn't be playing them. Maybe if their parents took more care in what there children did then some of these serious accidents could have been avoided.
Now I am not having a go at everyone as there are alot of kids who know right from wrong and can watch or play violent material and have no effects from it but there is a small group that can't and there parents don't do enough to educate them. I would also like to see stricter laws for selling films and game that have 18 ratings as there are alot of places that sell them to kids. Fair enough if they have to get there parents to buy it for them as long as the parent approves and knows what the film or game contains. Then we can all get back to playing games, watching films or listening to music without all those people protesting about them being bad for us and trying to ban certain releases.
Lets take games first.
There are many games that encourage violence and most of these have a 15 or 18 rating to prevent young children from playing them. Still this dosn't totally stop the problem as many parents still buy thses type of games as well they are only "games" they can't be that bad. Such games like GTA, silent hill, doom first showed that games can also be unsuitable for children and since then alot more have appeared. This is a genre that is becoming more and more popular with games like GTA3, silent hill2, resident evil code veronica and many more due for release. Graphically games are improving very quickly and get close to looking like tv or real life. This is why games need to be taken more seriously as they can be just as harmful if not more than films. With games the user controls what happens, who to kill, what to shoot that kind of thing. Not the kind of actions that you want young children to play.
So what about films. Films seem to get away with anything and again films that aren't suitable for children get a 15 or 18 certificate, parents seem to stick to these as some films contain alot of gore and scenes not for young eyes. Still alot of children see watching an 18 films as a kind of thrill, trying to sneek past parents without them knowing what you are up to, but some films may cause children to do violent things or some may scare and frighten them for some time.
Music and particlarly artists like Marylin Manson and Eminem have been in the news alot about there lyrics and what effects they could have on children. Personaly I can't stand Marylin Manson and can't see why anyone enjoys his music. Alot of his lyrics involve suicide and killing people which some people could take too serious. There was a tv program on about people who killed themselves after listening to his songs and others who murdered someone after listening to his songs. I quite like Eminem and think he gets a fair amount of undeserved hasstle from the media. People can write songs about what ever they want and they can have many meanings. People shouldn't take what the lyrics mean too serious, that seems to be where the problem is.
Again some music CD's have a Parental Advisory sticker. Children can still buy it but some parents may not wish their child to listen to it.
Finaly television, it is ilegal to broadcast a program unsuitable for children before 9pm (the watershed) after that you can show just about anything you want (as channel 5 showed us) again it all comes down to parents making sure their child dosn't let their child watch something they find unsuitable. Some programs are cut, this removes bad language and violent gorey scenes.
Without all these life would probably be very boring but would violence disappear? I don't think it would. As fighting and wars happened before most of these were around. I personaly think that although some of these forms of media do encourage violence most of the time people are educated enought to be able to tell right from wrong and to know not to copy what they have seen. The small percentage that do wrong and blame some form of media are the ones whos parents haven't been careful enought to monitor what they watch or play.
I think a large part of the responsibility lies with the parents, they shouldn't allow their child to view or play such material but they do. Take some of the shootings in America, parents are trying to sue some game developers and webpages. I find this wrong as if the games were to violent then they shouldn't be playing them. Maybe if their parents took more care in what there children did then some of these serious accidents could have been avoided.
Now I am not having a go at everyone as there are alot of kids who know right from wrong and can watch or play violent material and have no effects from it but there is a small group that can't and there parents don't do enough to educate them. I would also like to see stricter laws for selling films and game that have 18 ratings as there are alot of places that sell them to kids. Fair enough if they have to get there parents to buy it for them as long as the parent approves and knows what the film or game contains. Then we can all get back to playing games, watching films or listening to music without all those people protesting about them being bad for us and trying to ban certain releases.
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"Is violence caused by games?"
I dunno but I read something in N64 Magaizine a few years back which really made me laugh. It said something like, "The day we see a 5 year-old pull off the head of his playground chum, spinal cord attatched, then we'll believe it."
:)
I dunno but I read something in N64 Magaizine a few years back which really made me laugh. It said something like, "The day we see a 5 year-old pull off the head of his playground chum, spinal cord attatched, then we'll believe it."
:)
On a brighter side some games are actualy beneficial, a company is working on a game to help people who are dyslexic read better. Who knows we may see more software designed to help people who have certain problems.
As for my post about violence I had one other thought. If games were a cause of violence then surely the millions (could be billions) that play them everyday would all become as violent as the others. But this dosn't happen.
As for my post about violence I had one other thought. If games were a cause of violence then surely the millions (could be billions) that play them everyday would all become as violent as the others. But this dosn't happen.
"Is Violence caused by games?"
In a word, no.
In a word, no.
Well everyone is different but I really believe that you can't be forced to do anything (except maybe by brainwashing, mmm shiny). If you go and kill someone, you actually made the concious choice to kill someone, the problem is if you believed it was right to do so. So perhaps it's just a matter of making sure that morality is shown in things. In many games the death of innocents will make you lose, showing that this is not a good thing and the people that die are usually the bad guys. Another thing is that people aged 15 (infact probably from the age of 12) should have a system of morals so if they go to kill someone they'll know it's wrong.
As for killing yourself, that's the same, I don't see how a game could make you do it but songs that say that life is rubbish and you might as well die now could convince a young influential mind that this is true, especially with how things seem to children who believe they are being punished if they are not given something and do not understand that the thing is not availiable to be given. I've said many a time that I think it is ridiculous that the kind of song which contains swearing and lyrics about killing people or yourself are shown on chart shows any time of the day, even if they are cut. The child could believe they should like this music and when they get the uncut version (which they invariably will) they will be exposed to things they shouldn't hear until they can understand that they are not serious.
The problem is that parents may think "It's only a game" but then they suddenly want to blame all their problems on the game when their kid kills him/herself. It's people who are evil, not weapons, not media (well people in the media maybe), just people. We invented the evil to good spectrum and so we know full well when we are doing something we shouldn't be. As the old saying goes "How would you feel if someone did that to you?"
As for killing yourself, that's the same, I don't see how a game could make you do it but songs that say that life is rubbish and you might as well die now could convince a young influential mind that this is true, especially with how things seem to children who believe they are being punished if they are not given something and do not understand that the thing is not availiable to be given. I've said many a time that I think it is ridiculous that the kind of song which contains swearing and lyrics about killing people or yourself are shown on chart shows any time of the day, even if they are cut. The child could believe they should like this music and when they get the uncut version (which they invariably will) they will be exposed to things they shouldn't hear until they can understand that they are not serious.
The problem is that parents may think "It's only a game" but then they suddenly want to blame all their problems on the game when their kid kills him/herself. It's people who are evil, not weapons, not media (well people in the media maybe), just people. We invented the evil to good spectrum and so we know full well when we are doing something we shouldn't be. As the old saying goes "How would you feel if someone did that to you?"
I think that people who say they were motivated to kill following seeing a scene from a film/video/game are just trying to avoid a death sentence. It is in my humble opinion a load of codswallop stirred up by the media to sell newspapers.
Games in particular, are just that, games. If a game contains adult themes, then fair enough, stick an 18 rating on it, and then trust the parents to do what's right and monitor their children at play.
If you are going to put restictions on a media type because it's believed to be responsible for war/violence/crimes against humanity etc., start with banning the Bible and other religious texts, because the amount of war that is carried out in the name of 'God' is horrific.
Then ban all films that contain swearing/punching/cruelty etc. Then ban all these books that contain similar themes. Then totally censor the internet. Then ban cars (road rage), working (office rage), computers (PC rage), and mail sorting offices (going postal).
Then we can watch Teletubbies all day safe in the knowledge that mankind is no longer the naturally agressive species that it always has been. Oh, I forgot, ban TV too.
Games in particular, are just that, games. If a game contains adult themes, then fair enough, stick an 18 rating on it, and then trust the parents to do what's right and monitor their children at play.
If you are going to put restictions on a media type because it's believed to be responsible for war/violence/crimes against humanity etc., start with banning the Bible and other religious texts, because the amount of war that is carried out in the name of 'God' is horrific.
Then ban all films that contain swearing/punching/cruelty etc. Then ban all these books that contain similar themes. Then totally censor the internet. Then ban cars (road rage), working (office rage), computers (PC rage), and mail sorting offices (going postal).
Then we can watch Teletubbies all day safe in the knowledge that mankind is no longer the naturally agressive species that it always has been. Oh, I forgot, ban TV too.
Well not just games but by most forms of media, for example games, movies, television, music and books. To a certain degree it can be, some encourage violence in games or through lyrics in songs. Children are very easily lead astray and can see some games, films, artists as role models and want to be just like them, do as they do so to speak.
Lets take games first.
There are many games that encourage violence and most of these have a 15 or 18 rating to prevent young children from playing them. Still this dosn't totally stop the problem as many parents still buy thses type of games as well they are only "games" they can't be that bad. Such games like GTA, silent hill, doom first showed that games can also be unsuitable for children and since then alot more have appeared. This is a genre that is becoming more and more popular with games like GTA3, silent hill2, resident evil code veronica and many more due for release. Graphically games are improving very quickly and get close to looking like tv or real life. This is why games need to be taken more seriously as they can be just as harmful if not more than films. With games the user controls what happens, who to kill, what to shoot that kind of thing. Not the kind of actions that you want young children to play.
So what about films. Films seem to get away with anything and again films that aren't suitable for children get a 15 or 18 certificate, parents seem to stick to these as some films contain alot of gore and scenes not for young eyes. Still alot of children see watching an 18 films as a kind of thrill, trying to sneek past parents without them knowing what you are up to, but some films may cause children to do violent things or some may scare and frighten them for some time.
Music and particlarly artists like Marylin Manson and Eminem have been in the news alot about there lyrics and what effects they could have on children. Personaly I can't stand Marylin Manson and can't see why anyone enjoys his music. Alot of his lyrics involve suicide and killing people which some people could take too serious. There was a tv program on about people who killed themselves after listening to his songs and others who murdered someone after listening to his songs. I quite like Eminem and think he gets a fair amount of undeserved hasstle from the media. People can write songs about what ever they want and they can have many meanings. People shouldn't take what the lyrics mean too serious, that seems to be where the problem is.
Again some music CD's have a Parental Advisory sticker. Children can still buy it but some parents may not wish their child to listen to it.
Finaly television, it is ilegal to broadcast a program unsuitable for children before 9pm (the watershed) after that you can show just about anything you want (as channel 5 showed us) again it all comes down to parents making sure their child dosn't let their child watch something they find unsuitable. Some programs are cut, this removes bad language and violent gorey scenes.
Without all these life would probably be very boring but would violence disappear? I don't think it would. As fighting and wars happened before most of these were around. I personaly think that although some of these forms of media do encourage violence most of the time people are educated enought to be able to tell right from wrong and to know not to copy what they have seen. The small percentage that do wrong and blame some form of media are the ones whos parents haven't been careful enought to monitor what they watch or play.
I think a large part of the responsibility lies with the parents, they shouldn't allow their child to view or play such material but they do. Take some of the shootings in America, parents are trying to sue some game developers and webpages. I find this wrong as if the games were to violent then they shouldn't be playing them. Maybe if their parents took more care in what there children did then some of these serious accidents could have been avoided.
Now I am not having a go at everyone as there are alot of kids who know right from wrong and can watch or play violent material and have no effects from it but there is a small group that can't and there parents don't do enough to educate them. I would also like to see stricter laws for selling films and game that have 18 ratings as there are alot of places that sell them to kids. Fair enough if they have to get there parents to buy it for them as long as the parent approves and knows what the film or game contains. Then we can all get back to playing games, watching films or listening to music without all those people protesting about them being bad for us and trying to ban certain releases.
Lets take games first.
There are many games that encourage violence and most of these have a 15 or 18 rating to prevent young children from playing them. Still this dosn't totally stop the problem as many parents still buy thses type of games as well they are only "games" they can't be that bad. Such games like GTA, silent hill, doom first showed that games can also be unsuitable for children and since then alot more have appeared. This is a genre that is becoming more and more popular with games like GTA3, silent hill2, resident evil code veronica and many more due for release. Graphically games are improving very quickly and get close to looking like tv or real life. This is why games need to be taken more seriously as they can be just as harmful if not more than films. With games the user controls what happens, who to kill, what to shoot that kind of thing. Not the kind of actions that you want young children to play.
So what about films. Films seem to get away with anything and again films that aren't suitable for children get a 15 or 18 certificate, parents seem to stick to these as some films contain alot of gore and scenes not for young eyes. Still alot of children see watching an 18 films as a kind of thrill, trying to sneek past parents without them knowing what you are up to, but some films may cause children to do violent things or some may scare and frighten them for some time.
Music and particlarly artists like Marylin Manson and Eminem have been in the news alot about there lyrics and what effects they could have on children. Personaly I can't stand Marylin Manson and can't see why anyone enjoys his music. Alot of his lyrics involve suicide and killing people which some people could take too serious. There was a tv program on about people who killed themselves after listening to his songs and others who murdered someone after listening to his songs. I quite like Eminem and think he gets a fair amount of undeserved hasstle from the media. People can write songs about what ever they want and they can have many meanings. People shouldn't take what the lyrics mean too serious, that seems to be where the problem is.
Again some music CD's have a Parental Advisory sticker. Children can still buy it but some parents may not wish their child to listen to it.
Finaly television, it is ilegal to broadcast a program unsuitable for children before 9pm (the watershed) after that you can show just about anything you want (as channel 5 showed us) again it all comes down to parents making sure their child dosn't let their child watch something they find unsuitable. Some programs are cut, this removes bad language and violent gorey scenes.
Without all these life would probably be very boring but would violence disappear? I don't think it would. As fighting and wars happened before most of these were around. I personaly think that although some of these forms of media do encourage violence most of the time people are educated enought to be able to tell right from wrong and to know not to copy what they have seen. The small percentage that do wrong and blame some form of media are the ones whos parents haven't been careful enought to monitor what they watch or play.
I think a large part of the responsibility lies with the parents, they shouldn't allow their child to view or play such material but they do. Take some of the shootings in America, parents are trying to sue some game developers and webpages. I find this wrong as if the games were to violent then they shouldn't be playing them. Maybe if their parents took more care in what there children did then some of these serious accidents could have been avoided.
Now I am not having a go at everyone as there are alot of kids who know right from wrong and can watch or play violent material and have no effects from it but there is a small group that can't and there parents don't do enough to educate them. I would also like to see stricter laws for selling films and game that have 18 ratings as there are alot of places that sell them to kids. Fair enough if they have to get there parents to buy it for them as long as the parent approves and knows what the film or game contains. Then we can all get back to playing games, watching films or listening to music without all those people protesting about them being bad for us and trying to ban certain releases.
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