Viewing Thread:
"Violence in Videogames"

Forever the media have blamed crimes and violence in teenagers on "violence in videogames", saying that it corrupts their minds and persuades and manipulates them into doing these things. The fact that people sit for hours playing these games helps back-up this theory but I think the violence and crime in videogames keeps gamers from going out and doing these things. You can take out your anger and agression in a game of Tekken, you destroy the lives of hundreds of 'people', you can drive through busy streets ramming into other cars and stealing more and more without actually doing it in reality. The people who go out and do those things on the streets didn't learn their tricks and tactics from playing videogames or watching television, they learned from experiences in their REAL lives. Videogames are for entertainment, like TV, people play them for fun, to be a part of the action that would normally get them killed, to steal cars that would normally get them arrested. People play videogames to get the adrenaline rush that they would normally get by going out and doing those same things in reality. As long as these violent videogames exist, the amount of violence and crime on the streets is going to stay down.

Forever the media have blamed crimes and violence in teenagers on "violence in videogames", saying that it corrupts their minds and persuades and manipulates them into doing these things. The fact that people sit for hours playing these games helps back-up this theory but I think the violence and crime in videogames keeps gamers from going out and doing these things. You can take out your anger and agression in a game of Tekken, you destroy the lives of hundreds of 'people', you can drive through busy streets ramming into other cars and stealing more and more without actually doing it in reality. The people who go out and do those things on the streets didn't learn their tricks and tactics from playing videogames or watching television, they learned from experiences in their REAL lives. Videogames are for entertainment, like TV, people play them for fun, to be a part of the action that would normally get them killed, to steal cars that would normally get them arrested. People play videogames to get the adrenaline rush that they would normally get by going out and doing those same things in reality. As long as these violent videogames exist, the amount of violence and crime on the streets is going to stay down.

Violence in video games is a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because it makes games more realistic. But it is a bad thing aswell because it is showing a picture of the real world. People who are innocent do get shot in real life. Hostoges are killed. People do run people over on purpose. No one can prove that games start violence but maybe they do?

The problem with evidence that suggests crime can be caused because young people get ideas from films and games is that there are many people who do play violent games and watch violent films who don't commit crime (infact the majority of people who do this) but by the same token, many criminals do watch violence on TV or play violent games. So the thing is, are certain people inspired by these things or is it just coincidence? well i would be willing to agree that certain people would be inspired, but there is a cause to this first which will be losing their grip on reality or one of many other things (trauma, etc.) so games can't really be blamed, they are just a scapegoat... and anyway, who forced the parents or guardians to allow them to play these violent games? no one. "I did'nt know they played these games" isn't an excuse because it might just be that your lack of attention is the cause of them going out to commit crime! So really, the main factors i should think are living conditions and the way these people are brought up. Of course you can't blame the parents entirely either, a big part of being brought up is the way you develop social skills around people of your own age, and you might be a terrible bully despite a good life at home! So i guess the only reason crime is commited is because some people don't have respect for others or their belongings and decide (because you are never forced) to break the law.

Before TV and Video games there was crime. Hell there were wars. Most of the time religion was involved. Playing a violent game or watching a violent film will not make somebody a violent person, however it might give them ideas on exactly how to be violent. (Rather than just murdering someone, why not do it in the style of something you've seen on TV, blame modern culture rather than the fact that you're a sicko)

When someone blames society, games, films etc for the actions of one individual, they are trying to understand that person's motivation. I believe that anyone who can go out and take someone's life will not be motivated only by the media, they must have something physically wrong with them to attempt this in the first place. If it is true that media influences people, then it could just as easily have been a poster on the road that caused them to 'flip' rather than computer games.
Computer games do contain violence, mostly because it's interesting when you are aware that it's not real, it also sells well. Is this a product of a sick society? No, nature itself is violent and kills far more people that other people do. Humans are part of nature and it is our instinct to survive and adapt, part of this is the way in which we control our strength and violent actions. Games in general increase adrenaline levels, violent games even more so, which is part of the enjoyment of them. After all, if you ban violent games, then surely you should ban Tom and Jerry and many other cartoons too. Hell, ban all violent media, there will be more violence on the streets as people try to get their adrenelane rush somewhere else.

Perhaps when asking the question 'Is violence in video games a bad thing?' we should also ask how well these violent games sell and why.
Most violent games that sell, do so because they are good games. They only have violent content because that is part of the game itself. Carmageddon and Grand Theft Auto both came under pressure from the media because they had violence in them, but I'm sure that both programming teams wanted to make a good game and came up with the idea for the game before they came up with the suggestion to make it violent. Most of the time I would think this was a natural progression when creating the game, I don;t think the teams thought 'I know, lets make a really violent game and whip up a media frenzy, then it will sell well.' Okay, so Carmageddon is not going to win too many prizes for game of the year, but it's still fun and it would have sold well without the media's 'help'. Likewise Grand Theft Auto did so well because it was a really good game and got good reviews. If they had been unlucky the game may have been banned before release and the company would have lost money, it's happened before (Thrill Kill Kult on the playstation for example) and companies do not want to take that risk.
So what I am trying to say is, Don't jump to the conclusion that all games firms think of something that will get the media's back up then create a game around it, it's usually the other way around.