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"Videogames: Causing Violence in Society?"

Videogames: Causing Violence in Society?

Do videogames cause violent behaviour within a person, or are they just simply used as scapegoats?

Whenever something violent occurs in society, videogames are always one of the prime targets and are accused of causing whatever incident may have occurred. But I find this to be extremely unfair, untrue and unjust. All of these people that blame games should stop and think for a second.

Have they played any of these games themselves? If they have, have they gone out on some mad rampage? I don’t think so. On the other hand, if they haven’t played these games, then how would they know that they cause violence? They don’t, because they do not have the experience to make any kind of judgement. So they need to stop and look at things from a gamer’s perspective.

I’m going tell you all something about myself, just to allow you to see the point I am trying to put across to you.

For the past 2 weeks, through no fault of my own, I had been experiencing quite a few problems at work, although thankfully, they have been resolved now. I won’t go into details about it, but it resulted in me becoming quite stressed out and feeling very frustrated to be completely honest with you. But I can hold my temper when I need to, so I did. Then I got home at nights, turned on the PS2 and took my anger out on my videogames, Vice City to be precise. One of the most controversial titles available apparently, according to these people.

So just try to imagine for a second that there was no such thing as a videogame. WHO would I have vented my frustration out on? Yes, most likely one of my colleagues, which would have resulted in me getting fired and quite possibly hurting someone.

So my point is this: Games do not cause violence in society, but in actual fact, they have quite the opposite effect, they are a good form of stress relief and reduce violence within a person.

Well, that was my personal opinion, from experience. Does anyone agree with me or indeed, disagree with me? If you have any opinion of your own relating to the subject, then please let them be known.

Thanks for reading.

I think the government is always looking for scapegoats no matter what the situation. They blame rap music for the increase in gun crime, but surely if music alone was capable of making someone do something then the government would be using it for their own purposes? Videogaming has always been scapegoated, but I mean, kids watch all sorts of comedies, i don;t notice kids getting any funnier, do you?

Lou Role wrote:
>Some stuff.

Yeah, i've always said that if you're going to run around killing people after playing GTA 3, then chances are you were going to do it anyway.

Mind you, i felt like commiting a violent act after i'd failed the last Hammond mission on 'The Getaway' for about the 10th time!

I liked the addition of Margaret Thatcher too. Polaticians are usually one of the first to critisice games, but do they play games? Well, maybe they do, but if they do, then they are hypocrits.

Its true what you said though Dan. People are violent because it's just the way things sometimes are, it's in their nature. If a person wants to be violent, then they dont need games or any other form of entertainment (because that's all it is) to endorse it.

DanDaGr8 wrote:
> In my opinion people who blame todays sociatities problems on games
> are morons. People are violent and evil because the human race is
> violent an evil race, always has been and still is. Hitler, Jack the
> Ripper, Stalin, Vlad the Impaler, Margaret Thatcher, all blood
> thristy, sex-crazed maniacs, and did they play games? No

Heh, i like the addition of Thatcher in there!!! :D

In my opinion people who blame todays sociatities problems on games are morons. People are violent and evil because the human race is violent an evil race, always has been and still is. Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Stalin, Vlad the Impaler, Margaret Thatcher, all blood thristy, sex-crazed maniacs, and did they play games? No

Lou Role wrote:
> I've never heard of that incident, but I'm pretty sure Marylin Manson
> was just used as a scapegoat, the same way as games are. Marylin
> Manson isn't as mad as people think. His music and style are purely
> for image, to get him noticed.

I suppose you're right. Mind you, i don't think i'd like my children having Marilyn Manson as their Role model!!!

The incident in question was on the news at least 3-4 years ago. It was two teenage girls who said that they were influenced by Mr. Manson and that "They did it because they were bored".

Some people really are sick...like that girl on the news who has been causing havoc in her neighbourhood (She got locked up for it).

Drunken Duncan wrote:
> I think games do not affect people at all. If they do anything,
> surely it reduces the chance of a person committing an offence.
> For example, if you had a REALLY bad day at work or something and you
> felt like blowing some random person's head up the side of a wall,
> then by using a game you could do this without endangering the lives
> of other people. You would relieve stress through the game rather
> than from smashing somebody in the face.

Yes, that's the point I was trying to put across in the original post. I had a bad time at work, so I took my aggresion out on my games and not my colleagues. I'm not saying that anyones life was at risk, it wasn't that extreme, but I could certainly have hit someone if I hadn't had somewhere else to take out my anger.

> To be honest, i think music has more of an affect on kids these days.
> It sounds silly, but just think: Remember those two teenage girls a
> couple of years back who killed a baby because they were influenced by
> Marilyn Manson? I don't see anyone killing a person and blaming Vice
> city...

I've never heard of that incident, but I'm pretty sure Marylin Manson was just used as a scapegoat, the same way as games are. Marylin Manson isn't as mad as people think. His music and style are purely for image, to get him noticed.

I think games do not affect people at all. If they do anything, surely it reduces the chance of a person committing an offence.

For example, if you had a REALLY bad day at work or something and you felt like blowing some random person's head up the side of a wall, then by using a game you could do this without endangering the lives of other people. You would relieve stress through the game rather than from smashing somebody in the face.

To be honest, i think music has more of an affect on kids these days. It sounds silly, but just think: Remember those two teenage girls a couple of years back who killed a baby because they were influenced by Marilyn Manson? I don't see anyone killing a person and blaming Vice city...

far too empty wrote:
> Games influenced me to play human tetris with my children.

Maybe Michael Jackson was playing that before he hung his kid off that balcony?

:)

Games influenced me to play human tetris with my children.

I get my wife to drop them in spandex shaped outfits. I tell her where.