The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
It got me thinking about how all things are blamed for violence/criminal activities without good proof. Including videogames.
Do any of you think that playing Quake or Goldeneye would force you (or anybody for that matter) to go down to your local school with a sawn off?
Does watching Tom & Jerry cause kids to shove milk bottles down each others throats?
Would watching a violent sex act on the television give anyone enough reason to do the same to the next stranger they saw?
I believe the answer to all these questions is no. None of the above cause violence/crime. A simple answer could be made from stealing a line from The Simpsons :
"There was violence before cartoons"
As well as that, there was violence before videogames & Tv's.
While that statement doesn't exactly blow the arguement out of the water, I still think that if someone has committed a crime after playing a game, they were probably going to do it anyway. If all that was required was a trigger to set them off, it could have been anything. The TV news reports violent crime at least once a week. Newspapers do the same. Whats to say that the same person was or wasn't going to have his criminal feelings aroused by these???
I dont think outside influence is to blame for violence. I think its down to the actual person themselves. And if they are capable of doing these things, they deserve to be locked up anyway...
Lemme hear your views...
It got me thinking about how all things are blamed for violence/criminal activities without good proof. Including videogames.
Do any of you think that playing Quake or Goldeneye would force you (or anybody for that matter) to go down to your local school with a sawn off?
Does watching Tom & Jerry cause kids to shove milk bottles down each others throats?
Would watching a violent sex act on the television give anyone enough reason to do the same to the next stranger they saw?
I believe the answer to all these questions is no. None of the above cause violence/crime. A simple answer could be made from stealing a line from The Simpsons :
"There was violence before cartoons"
As well as that, there was violence before videogames & Tv's.
While that statement doesn't exactly blow the arguement out of the water, I still think that if someone has committed a crime after playing a game, they were probably going to do it anyway. If all that was required was a trigger to set them off, it could have been anything. The TV news reports violent crime at least once a week. Newspapers do the same. Whats to say that the same person was or wasn't going to have his criminal feelings aroused by these???
I dont think outside influence is to blame for violence. I think its down to the actual person themselves. And if they are capable of doing these things, they deserve to be locked up anyway...
Lemme hear your views...
Perhaps some git out there, with an already twisted mind, will play GTA, and think, hey! That's a great idea!
The thing is, old women and MPs hear about this game, and all they hear is:
"The objective of this game is to make points by killing people and committing quite horrendous crimes."
Humm.
But that isn't the point, is it? The point is that it is FUN.
And that's all games are meant to be...
And before people start accusing the game for "corrupting" peoples minds... how do you think the games makers minds were "corrupted" so much, to make them want to make the game?
The root of all evil is money... and that seems more true here, than in any other subject.
People can blame videogaming all they want, but nowadays it is always someone elses fault, most of these posh types would rather go to see a wrestling match and say that videogaming caused all the violence rather than stay at home and 'watch the cricket' That is their problem, they don't know what to blame so they blame 'us'.
Well I say screw them. I am not leading a rebellion, (shame), but I do think that they are just showing hopw pathetic they are by saying...
'Wahhhhhhahahahahahahah' Computer games did this....computer games did that! I have never played mario Bros. before and I am really stupid!
The Game
(They're Getting shorter....well sort of!)
Well I dont get like that anymore as I let my frustration out on a guard in Goldeneye or Perfect Dark. If your a man thirsty for blood maybe your violent out bursts is much better taking place on a virtual person rather than a real one. Doing it on Computer games is more fun anyway as you don't get arrested for it.
So you never know video games may be stopping many violent acts rather than causing it but either way there is no concreate proof.
> As far as I see...
Perhaps some git out there, with an already
> twisted mind, will play GTA, and think, hey! That's a great
> idea!
The thing is, old women and MPs hear about this game, and
> all they hear is:
"The objective of this game is to make
> points by killing people and committing quite horrendous
> crimes."
Humm.
But that isn't the point, is it? The
> point is that it is FUN.
And that's all games are meant to
> be...
And before people start accusing the game for
> "corrupting" peoples minds... how do you think the games
> makers minds were "corrupted" so much, to make them want
> to make the game?
The root of all evil is money... and that seems
> more true here, than in any other subject.
Could not have put it better myself!
POWER OF THE SHEEP
Many people will take the violence provided by aspects of the genres out of context, or will be excited enough by them to be a touch dodgy...
However if a guy goes on a shooting spree after watching Rambo, or playing Doom, or because the latest novelty band tells them to, does that mean it should e banned?
Do the products that can easily influence a person of a sub-standard state of mind goe nuts...
Or should the majorityt of people, who watch Rambo, and think nothing more of it tha that its a bit of a dodgy film be allowed to do so at will, accepting the releated risks...
Hoe much of a nanny state do we want to live in?
There is no way on earth that you could play GTA or Syndicate wars extensively without at least wondering what it would be like, without it in some way affecting you. Perhaps it doesn't seem a large, or even a significant effect - on you yourself - but don't forget, some people are far more open to suggestion than others. Children in particular do like to re-enact their favourite games, and if they're violent games then the re-enactment will also contain some violence.
Even if they don't directly encourage violence, games can open up people's minds to a new way of thinking. Who'd have thought being a criminal or serial killer could be such fun?
It has long been agreed by psychologists that our personalities are shaped by envirornental conditions. What makes you think you can draw an exception with computer games? Everything we do and see shapes what we are and how we act. Some things obviusly have more of an effect than others, but everything has its effect.
Nobody here would ever dream of going on a shooting spree, or other such insane act, but that's because you are all sensible people with stable personalities developed over years of being in a good envirornment. Now, supposing for example you were brought up in a rough area in America. Guns are widely available and violence is commonplace. You'd be far, far less hesitant about committing a violent act. Playing GTA (for the sake of arguement) could easily put you in the mood to go on a joy ride, could it not? In the same way, a lengthy session of quake might make you a little more trigger happy, especially if you carried a gun normally. The same thing applies for knives and other weapons.
Having said that computer games can make you more violent however, I'd say that the potential effect from games is minimal compared to the effect of broken homes, high crime levels and street mobs. The games themselves can even be an alternative to relieving frustration in the outside world.
Also, you'll note, the same can be said of films and TV as can of games - the difference being films and TV are more realistic and therefore more easily associated with reality.
So games can cause violence, but if we're talking about introducing restrictions in the form of age limits, or straight out bans, then it's a waste of time and money. Society has far more pressing needs it should be attending.