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Someone on the radio said some time ago about how a bloke went out & raped someone because he was excited after watching an acted rape on the television.
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...
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VenomByte wrote:
There is no way on earth that
> you could play GTA or Syndicate wars extensively without at least
> wondering what it would be like,
No offense... but would you like to watch me? ... I've played thousands of very violent games over the past 20 odd years, and never have I once wondered what it would be like to do it in real life... I may become aggrivated at the in game character, and seriously want to damage Eugine in Manic Miner, but no matter how hacked off I get, Its never occured to me to turn to a flat mate and attempt to then kill him/her :)
>their favourite games, and if they're violent games then the
> re-enactment will also contain some violence.
Better ban Tom & Jerry then...
It has long been agreed by
> psychologists that our personalities are shaped by envirornental
> conditions.
Evironmental and genetic... its still not agreed what the cause of the conditions that produce muderers/rapist/paedephiles, serial killers, etc.. actually are... infact theres an entire sub-culture deoted to doing the lecture circuit climing their theory as to the reason why people do these things..
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.
Because were independant, free-willed people, because we see violence doesnt mean we do violence...
> 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.
Of course its not the local gun fights, the acrtive participation with firearms, the socially acceptable hard drug use, the violent enviroment or peer pressure its half an hour playing a computer game thats done it...
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.
These themselves dont create vioent people, they create scared people...
There is no way on earth that
> you could play GTA or Syndicate wars extensively without at least
> wondering what it would be like,
No offense... but would you like to watch me? ... I've played thousands of very violent games over the past 20 odd years, and never have I once wondered what it would be like to do it in real life... I may become aggrivated at the in game character, and seriously want to damage Eugine in Manic Miner, but no matter how hacked off I get, Its never occured to me to turn to a flat mate and attempt to then kill him/her :)
>their favourite games, and if they're violent games then the
> re-enactment will also contain some violence.
Better ban Tom & Jerry then...
It has long been agreed by
> psychologists that our personalities are shaped by envirornental
> conditions.
Evironmental and genetic... its still not agreed what the cause of the conditions that produce muderers/rapist/paedephiles, serial killers, etc.. actually are... infact theres an entire sub-culture deoted to doing the lecture circuit climing their theory as to the reason why people do these things..
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.
Because were independant, free-willed people, because we see violence doesnt mean we do violence...
> 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.
Of course its not the local gun fights, the acrtive participation with firearms, the socially acceptable hard drug use, the violent enviroment or peer pressure its half an hour playing a computer game thats done it...
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.
These themselves dont create vioent people, they create scared people...
I completely buggered that up, didn't I?
(Yup. Nothing to do with me, either.)
Ah well. ;0)
(Yup. Nothing to do with me, either.)
Ah well. ;0)
No...
(But then if you were, then you wouldn't realise.)
Eh?
(Say you are insane, and then people will think you aren't.)
Err... ok.
The voice in my head tells me to tell you that I am not insane.
(That'll tell em.)
(But then if you were, then you wouldn't realise.)
Eh?
(Say you are insane, and then people will think you aren't.)
Err... ok.
The voice in my head tells me to tell you that I am not insane.
(That'll tell em.)
:)
Are you mentally unstable enough to be able to tell me the answer to that?
After playing GTA what would mentally unstable people do go killing people and risk being put away or buy the sequal?
Computer games do cause violence.
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.
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.
Theres always going to be people who are mentally impbanced enough to be influenced by films or Music or Video Games.
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?
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?
Grix Thraves wrote:
> 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
> 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
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