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http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/ gma/US/GMA030905Grand_theft_murders.html
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Here we go again with the "Do games provoke violence" debate.
Personally, if you're stupid enough to want to imitate a game then you're dumb to be playing unsupervised.
Yet again society being blamed instead of internal errors?
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Here we go again with the "Do games provoke violence" debate.
Personally, if you're stupid enough to want to imitate a game then you're dumb to be playing unsupervised.
Yet again society being blamed instead of internal errors?
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Light wrote:
> It would appear that we live in a blameless society these days. No
> more should parents worry about how they raise their children, no
> more should anyone be concerned about what is taught at school.
Not sure what you're trying to say. If we lived in a blameless society then I guess we wouldn't be blaming computer games. :) I presume you mean individual responsibility though.
I tend to believe that blaming the parents is the easy way, its the way that we can absolve ourselves of any responsbility as a society. Where as parents should accept some responsibility for their children, I think we also have to realise that its increasingly difficult to protect your child these days. Don't want your 7 year old to be exposed to un-necessary violence/swearing etc. etc.? I think the only solution is to lock them in an empty room. Its very difficult to make a child understand the difference between right and wrong when theres a whole society that in some respects undermines what you're telling your child. I'm not saying its impossible but if I compare for example my teenage life with a teenager of today, they are being faced with situations I wouldn't even have dreamed of at that age. There seems to be this whole culture of growing up faster and faster, which I don't really think they have the maturity to cope with.
As far as computer games being linked to violence. I'm not sure its totally unfair to single them out. Everybody has the potential to commit violence, the key is that some are closer to point of doing it than others. I believe we live in a society thats pushing everybody closer to it, not surprising that some go over the edge. Violence is common place in alot of media, people become desensitized to it. Computer games are the next level, not only do you get the violence, you even get to take part in it. Computer imagery is sufficiently advanced now that people can make the psychological connection between what they are seeing on screen and real life situations. Its just more desensitization, one step closer to doing that violent act for some. Add in the increasing stresses and strains of life, which younger people don't necessarily know how to cope with yet, and I don't think that surprising if we find more violent crimes, more copycat crimes like this GTA incident.
I just think its too easy to say its the parents fault or GTA didn't make me go kill somebody therefore its not the game's fault.
Ok, rambling now, better stop before I continue into a tirade about society in general. :)
> It would appear that we live in a blameless society these days. No
> more should parents worry about how they raise their children, no
> more should anyone be concerned about what is taught at school.
Not sure what you're trying to say. If we lived in a blameless society then I guess we wouldn't be blaming computer games. :) I presume you mean individual responsibility though.
I tend to believe that blaming the parents is the easy way, its the way that we can absolve ourselves of any responsbility as a society. Where as parents should accept some responsibility for their children, I think we also have to realise that its increasingly difficult to protect your child these days. Don't want your 7 year old to be exposed to un-necessary violence/swearing etc. etc.? I think the only solution is to lock them in an empty room. Its very difficult to make a child understand the difference between right and wrong when theres a whole society that in some respects undermines what you're telling your child. I'm not saying its impossible but if I compare for example my teenage life with a teenager of today, they are being faced with situations I wouldn't even have dreamed of at that age. There seems to be this whole culture of growing up faster and faster, which I don't really think they have the maturity to cope with.
As far as computer games being linked to violence. I'm not sure its totally unfair to single them out. Everybody has the potential to commit violence, the key is that some are closer to point of doing it than others. I believe we live in a society thats pushing everybody closer to it, not surprising that some go over the edge. Violence is common place in alot of media, people become desensitized to it. Computer games are the next level, not only do you get the violence, you even get to take part in it. Computer imagery is sufficiently advanced now that people can make the psychological connection between what they are seeing on screen and real life situations. Its just more desensitization, one step closer to doing that violent act for some. Add in the increasing stresses and strains of life, which younger people don't necessarily know how to cope with yet, and I don't think that surprising if we find more violent crimes, more copycat crimes like this GTA incident.
I just think its too easy to say its the parents fault or GTA didn't make me go kill somebody therefore its not the game's fault.
Ok, rambling now, better stop before I continue into a tirade about society in general. :)
This particular news item wasn't about joy riding. It was about two kids who deliberately took some shotguns, went out to the interstate and started shooting at passing vehicles, because they'd seen it in GTA and thought it would be fun to try it for real.
If, and it's a big if, the kids are telling the truth, the GTA game directly influenced them.
If, and it's a big if, the kids are telling the truth, the GTA game directly influenced them.
FantasyMeister wrote:
> Blame the parents on this one definitely. Over in the States they use
> the ESRB rating, GTA games all get an M for Mature rating, but it's
> not legally binding, it just indicates that the content 'may be'
> suitable for people over the age of 17. Kids are impressionable,
> they soak up 'cool stuff' like sponges, hence the copycat GTA crimes
> over there. If their parents weren't aware of that they should get
> sued by the families of the victims instead of them suing Take Two.
> Maybe they should sue the ESRB too, afterall they've got lots of
> money as well.
>
> Over here they slap a BBFC '18' symbol on the box, law-binding. Much
> better imho.
Oh come on!
"they soak up 'cool stuff' like sponges, hence the copycat GTA crimes over there."
We have had joyriding for years in this country, before the first GTA was even in design. Is GTA now to blame for *all* joyriding? American kids have been killing each other with guns for a long, long time.
Plus, I bet if you did a survey of all the people who have played GTA3 / Vice city in this country, I bet 70 - 80 percent are younger than 18. Its the old games are for kids syndrome. Places like HMV will take the age rating seriously, but I can guarantee that independent stockists will not be botherd as long as they get a sale.
Just another point, even if GTA3 / vice city are 18 rated, the developers still shy away from the harsher swear words. The two of them would be much more gritty if a few meaty curses were written into the script.
I've been playing Die Hard : Niakatomi Plaza (poor, poor, poor, but I'll finish it nonetheless) and it contains the f and mf word(s). doesn't add anything to the game, but it made me think "My *g0d*, I'm being treated like an adult here".
Sorry for the ramble, but I'm tired this morning.
> Blame the parents on this one definitely. Over in the States they use
> the ESRB rating, GTA games all get an M for Mature rating, but it's
> not legally binding, it just indicates that the content 'may be'
> suitable for people over the age of 17. Kids are impressionable,
> they soak up 'cool stuff' like sponges, hence the copycat GTA crimes
> over there. If their parents weren't aware of that they should get
> sued by the families of the victims instead of them suing Take Two.
> Maybe they should sue the ESRB too, afterall they've got lots of
> money as well.
>
> Over here they slap a BBFC '18' symbol on the box, law-binding. Much
> better imho.
Oh come on!
"they soak up 'cool stuff' like sponges, hence the copycat GTA crimes over there."
We have had joyriding for years in this country, before the first GTA was even in design. Is GTA now to blame for *all* joyriding? American kids have been killing each other with guns for a long, long time.
Plus, I bet if you did a survey of all the people who have played GTA3 / Vice city in this country, I bet 70 - 80 percent are younger than 18. Its the old games are for kids syndrome. Places like HMV will take the age rating seriously, but I can guarantee that independent stockists will not be botherd as long as they get a sale.
Just another point, even if GTA3 / vice city are 18 rated, the developers still shy away from the harsher swear words. The two of them would be much more gritty if a few meaty curses were written into the script.
I've been playing Die Hard : Niakatomi Plaza (poor, poor, poor, but I'll finish it nonetheless) and it contains the f and mf word(s). doesn't add anything to the game, but it made me think "My *g0d*, I'm being treated like an adult here".
Sorry for the ramble, but I'm tired this morning.
Blame the parents on this one definitely. Over in the States they use the ESRB rating, GTA games all get an M for Mature rating, but it's not legally binding, it just indicates that the content 'may be' suitable for people over the age of 17. Kids are impressionable, they soak up 'cool stuff' like sponges, hence the copycat GTA crimes over there. If their parents weren't aware of that they should get sued by the families of the victims instead of them suing Take Two. Maybe they should sue the ESRB too, afterall they've got lots of money as well.
Over here they slap a BBFC '18' symbol on the box, law-binding. Much better imho.
Over here they slap a BBFC '18' symbol on the box, law-binding. Much better imho.
Pandemonium wrote:
> "Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us
> as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic
> pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.", attributed
> to Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989.
>
> There is a school of thought that is was in fact Marcus Brigstocke, a
> British Comedian that wrote it.
That's where I got it from. He's on the Now Show as well, which is always brilliant.
> "Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us
> as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic
> pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.", attributed
> to Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989.
>
> There is a school of thought that is was in fact Marcus Brigstocke, a
> British Comedian that wrote it.
That's where I got it from. He's on the Now Show as well, which is always brilliant.
er-no wrote:
> I love the way videogames are blamed for violence.
>
> Its so pathetic its funny.
Everyone knows those bloody Normans completed Castle Wolfenstein before coming over and pillaging our country. It's GCSE History.
> I love the way videogames are blamed for violence.
>
> Its so pathetic its funny.
Everyone knows those bloody Normans completed Castle Wolfenstein before coming over and pillaging our country. It's GCSE History.
Does make me laugh everytime i hear stories like this and the usual brigade of meddlesome moms society and the Daily Mail shouting out
*Video games are the work of satan!!!!!!!! Little Jimmy killed them guys because of Grand Theft Auto on his computer and not because i don't pay any attention to what he's doing while i watch my soaps.*
I've played videogames since i was about 4 or 5 so that's around 15 years of killing videogame representations of people and all other sorts of things. I've carjacked people, shot them, beaten up prostitutes, ran drug businesses, blown up police stations etc etc but i can distinguish the difference between doing that on a game and actually going out and doing it for real. The people you read about in these stories can't and often have some psychological problem in which case they shouldn't be playing those sort of games in the first place unsupervised. Videogames do not cause violence, idiotic parents who think sitting little Jimmy infront of the tv hoping that it will raise him so they don't have to cause the problems.
Now if you'll excuse me i'm off to play Pro Evolution Soccer and seeing as videogames have such an influence on people apparently, i'll go on a mad rampage of football playing with my friends in the park afterwards.
*Video games are the work of satan!!!!!!!! Little Jimmy killed them guys because of Grand Theft Auto on his computer and not because i don't pay any attention to what he's doing while i watch my soaps.*
I've played videogames since i was about 4 or 5 so that's around 15 years of killing videogame representations of people and all other sorts of things. I've carjacked people, shot them, beaten up prostitutes, ran drug businesses, blown up police stations etc etc but i can distinguish the difference between doing that on a game and actually going out and doing it for real. The people you read about in these stories can't and often have some psychological problem in which case they shouldn't be playing those sort of games in the first place unsupervised. Videogames do not cause violence, idiotic parents who think sitting little Jimmy infront of the tv hoping that it will raise him so they don't have to cause the problems.
Now if you'll excuse me i'm off to play Pro Evolution Soccer and seeing as videogames have such an influence on people apparently, i'll go on a mad rampage of football playing with my friends in the park afterwards.
Blank wrote:
> Goatboy wrote:
> What's that quote?
>
> "If videogames influenced us, Pacman would mean we all dance to
> droning synth music, gobbling pills with constant jaw movements.
> Pah"
>
> I think it was, "If videogames influenced us, after Pac-man we'd
> all be sitting in darkened rooms, listening to monotonous music and
> munching pills.....oh"
The supposedly correct one is: -
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.", attributed to Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989.
There is a school of thought that is was in fact Marcus Brigstocke, a British Comedian that wrote it.
> Goatboy wrote:
> What's that quote?
>
> "If videogames influenced us, Pacman would mean we all dance to
> droning synth music, gobbling pills with constant jaw movements.
> Pah"
>
> I think it was, "If videogames influenced us, after Pac-man we'd
> all be sitting in darkened rooms, listening to monotonous music and
> munching pills.....oh"
The supposedly correct one is: -
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.", attributed to Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989.
There is a school of thought that is was in fact Marcus Brigstocke, a British Comedian that wrote it.
I love the way videogames are blamed for violence.
Its so pathetic its funny.
If you let your 15 year old play GTA...
Its so pathetic its funny.
If you let your 15 year old play GTA...
Goatboy wrote:
> What's that quote?
>
> "If videogames influenced us, Pacman would mean we all dance to
> droning synth music, gobbling pills with constant jaw movements.
> Pah"
I think it was, "If videogames influenced us, after Pac-man we'd all be sitting in darkened rooms, listening to monotonous music and munching pills.....oh"
> What's that quote?
>
> "If videogames influenced us, Pacman would mean we all dance to
> droning synth music, gobbling pills with constant jaw movements.
> Pah"
I think it was, "If videogames influenced us, after Pac-man we'd all be sitting in darkened rooms, listening to monotonous music and munching pills.....oh"
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